Chapter 1658: Yet Another Moon Culprit, The Emperor's Hundred-Year Scheme

“Yes, we have a child...”

*Snap!*

The image in space froze for a moment after this statement.

Xu Xiaoshou subtly hid the recording bead, his face etched with pure shock, as if hearing such a monumental piece of gossip for the very first time. Dao Qiongcang was equally astonished, raising his hands slightly to chest level, as if proving to someone that he couldn't possibly free his hands to record anything.

In truth, they had already discussed the matter of Bazun An's child during their night at Qingyuan Mountain. However, outsider gossip was incomparable to the direct confession from the person involved. If that single sentence from the recent image were released on the Sacred Divine Continent, it would cause an unimaginable stir. The Five Domains would likely be thrown into an uproar, leading to a frantic "child-finding" spree. Bazun An's children of suitable age would probably sprout like mushrooms after rain, appearing en masse.

“What’s their name?”

“Is it one child, or twins, triplets, perhaps even quadruplets?”

Xu and Dao were thoroughly animated, bombarding him with questions, chattering incessantly:

“Boy or girl?”

“Are they definitely born? And are they... still alive?”

“Their sword talent must be excellent, how old are they?”

“Xiao Kongtong?”

“That’s too old; there’s already Xiao Dazui. They should be around thirty, a prime age for cultivation...”

“Liu Fuyu?”

Their speculations grew wilder and wilder, but unfortunately, they received no response from Bazun An.

Bazun An had little power left and seemed not to notice their earlier subtle actions. In fact, by voluntarily speaking, he implicitly acknowledged that there was no need for concealment. The matter was long in the past, and discussing it now felt like talking about a stranger.

Of course, regarding the child, Bazun An only mentioned that one sentence before returning to the main topic: “I ignored the threatening letter...”

A threatening letter? Who wants to hear about a threatening letter now? We want to hear about the child! The child!

“It would be good to know their name, just in case we meet them later, to avoid any awkward situations,” Dao Qiongcang said, understanding the art of subtle threat. His subtlety, it must be said, was incredibly effective.

Bazun An pondered for a moment, then revealed without hesitation: “August, a girl.”

August? Who was August?

Both Xu and Dao found the name unfamiliar. Across the entire ancient sword arts community, no renowned female ancient sword cultivator around thirty years old was named August. The only one who somewhat fit the description was Liu Fuyu. A name change? No, it didn't seem right... Their instincts told them it wasn't the case...

Despite the unfamiliarity, both felt a slight sense of recognition. It was as if they had inadvertently heard the name mentioned by a passerby deep in their memories. But it was too fleeting! It would genuinely take some time to recall.

Just then, Cao Erzhu’s soul form began to boil, unable to restrain himself from uttering a sound: “Sister August?!”

Thoughts flooded Xu Xiaoshou's mind, and he immediately recalled information about August. Back when everyone first met Erzhu at Qingyuan Mountain, he had held a note with his name on it and mentioned it was given by "Sister August." August was accompanied by an old man, whom Mr. Si Ren judged to likely be Youtu. August was younger than Erzhu, perhaps even younger than Xu Xiaoshou himself, and certainly not in the age bracket of Xiao Kongtong or Liu Fuyu...

Was it a skill to maintain youth? Or true eternal youth?

“This is a bit messy!” Xu Xiaoshou felt incredible. Indeed, when the name August first appeared, he had already linked it to Bazun An's child. But then he thought it too hasty, that merely combining the surnames of Bazun An and Yue Gongnu to form a girl's name was pure nonsense. Considering Bazun An's own name, it was unlikely his family's naming customs would be so crude. Now, it seemed... had it become a prophecy?

Xu Xiaoshou cast a surprised glance at the flamboyant old Daoist, seeing a look of astonishment no less than his own. He then remembered that Dao Qiongcang had later taken control of the Qingyuan Mountain array. Dao Qiongcang had probably already traced back what happened inside. Naturally, he should also know who August was.

“You two... know her?”

Bazun An had stated his daughter's name so plainly because he knew how low-key Youtu was, having never truly returned to the Refined Spirit World for years. Who would have thought that not only did Xu and Dao know the name, but from their expressions, it seemed they had even met her in person? Bazun An himself hadn't seen what his daughter looked like grown up! And this idiotic soul, who appeared out of nowhere, also knew his daughter and called her so intimately?

*Kill him...* A thought inexplicably arose.

Sensing the killing intent, Xu Xiaoshou blurted out without thinking: “He’s Cao Erzhu, Kui Leihan’s son.”

Only then did Bazun An realize that this soul was the very person he needed to protect. As for why Cao Erzhu’s soul was held by Xu Xiaoshou, and why his body was taken by Dao Qiongcang—one seizing the soul, the other occupying the nest—what grievances they had inflicted upon Kui Leihan’s son beforehand... He didn’t want to know. They did a good job. Since the person wasn’t dead, Old Cao’s request was fulfilled.

Bazun An’s curiosity about matters unrelated to himself was never as strong as that of ordinary people. At that moment, he didn't threaten or request that they assist August if they met her again in the future. He simply noted the names, especially that Dao Qiongcang knew August, then steered the conversation back to himself: “I ignored the threatening letter and chose to fight.”

“On the day of the duel, halfway through the fight, someone sent me a message through Divination Arts, stating that Yue Gongnu was in trouble.”

Xu Xiaoshou stopped interrupting and quickly glanced at Dao Qiongcang. The latter innocently waved his hands rapidly, indicating it wasn’t his doing.

“At the time, I also thought Dao Qiongcang was behind it, but I didn’t care. The battle had already begun, and I couldn’t disengage until it was over.”

“Hua Changdeng was formidable; he wouldn’t miss any opportunity. I couldn’t expose a weakness to him.”

Formidable...

Xu Xiaoshou’s heart secretly tensed. This person always acted as if he could instantly defeat anything, even using a simple and crude "repeat after me" towards Chongyin. It was the first time Xu Xiaoshou had heard Bazun An evaluate an ancient sword cultivator with such a solemn tone and the description "formidable." Hua Changdeng should be no worse than the Nine Honored Ones... Xu Xiaoshou quietly took note of this crucial detail.

After all, he knew that the Ten Honored Ones competition was originally held simply to select talent for the Sacred Divine Palace. To the higher-tiered Five Great Saint Emperor Families, it was no different from choosing competent servants from other clans. Hua Changdeng not becoming one of the Ten Honored Ones didn’t necessarily mean he failed; it was possible, like Yue Gongnu and her brother, that there was simply no need for him to participate:

*My family is holding a competition to select servants; why would I, the young master, bother joining in?*

*What? These selected servants are too assertive?*

*That’s another matter; it doesn’t change my initial contempt for this soon-to-be exceptional group of servants.*

*What? Dao Qiongcang went?*

*He should have; otherwise, why would people call him the "flamboyant old Daoist"?*

*What? Bei Huai went too?*

*His participation is also understandable; he might have gone to study the competition, or rather, to study the competitors.*

Huddled inside the Divine Punishment Pillar array disk, Yue Gongli originally felt the space was a bit cramped. As a noble young master, he truly couldn't stand these broken array disks. But at this moment, Yue Gongli was curled into a ball, trying his best to shield his soul aura to prevent Bazun An's sensitive nose from detecting his presence.

“Are we still talking?”

“Let’s not talk about this anymore, Brother Ba, please let me off the hook, give me a break...”

He hugged himself, trembling in the array disk, not daring to show his face to his "brother-in-law" whom he had once described to outsiders as incredibly close.

Also being in the heart of the matter, Bazun An was relatively relaxed. After a pause, he continued: “The interference from Divination Arts did not affect me.”

“In fact, based on my understanding of Yue Gongnu, even if something truly happened to her that day, knowing I was in battle, she wouldn’t have told me about it, because it was likely just a ‘ploy’.”

“But ultimately...”

His voice dropped, and Xu Xiaoshou instantly felt that the crucial point was coming. The "turning point" that was about to appear should be the root cause of Bazun An’s disastrous defeat at the hands of Hua Changdeng. What could it be? Did Dao Xuanji possess such methods? It didn’t seem so... Xu Xiaoshou listened intently to Old Ba’s narration, temporarily forgetting even about his daughter.

Just then, Dao Qiongcang’s eyes flashed with a dangerous light, and he stated firmly: “Yue Gongli!”

Xu Xiaoshou glanced at him in surprise, seeing through the surface to the essence, as if he could see the array disk where Yue Gongli was. What did this have to do with the younger brother? Didn’t Yue Gongli say his relationship with his brother-in-law was very good? Could he also be Dao Xuanji’s person? No, according to Aunt Xiang’s intelligence, weren’t they at odds?

“Shut up!”

Inside the Divine Punishment Pillar array disk, Yue Gongli roared furiously. Unfortunately, he didn't dare to yell out loud, instead remaining like a mouse, cowering within the array disk, baring his teeth at Dao Qiongcang from afar, wishing he could rush out and tear him apart—but it remained only a wish.

“Precisely.”

Bazun An affirmed: “What I didn’t expect was that at the critical, white-hot moment of the battle, Yue Gongli rushed onto the battlefield.”

“In reality, he didn’t directly intervene in the main combat.”

“But from the side, he telepathically conveyed to me, in a tone full of panic, that his sister was in trouble, being taken by the clan elders to the Cold Prison, and was about to be judged...”

The subsequent sounds faded. Xu Xiaoshou had probably understood. A younger brother, at such a crucial moment, rushing over to tell his brother-in-law that his sister was in trouble. Even if this guy was usually unreliable, as a noble successor to a Saint Emperor, he would have manners. He should know how to prioritize matters. Such a statement would undoubtedly disturb Bazun An’s mind. Even if it was just a tiny bit, even if the opportunity was fleeting, would Hua Changdeng let go of his opponent’s moment of distraction and hesitation?

“Was that fox deliberate?” Xu Xiaoshou frowned, immediately thinking from the perspective of a schemer.

Within the world of ancient records, Bazun An’s blurred figure shook his head, but before he could speak, Dao Qiongcang interjected: “One cannot jump to conclusions or rely on mere intuition in this matter. In my opinion: it’s truly uncertain!”

“Yue Gongli is intelligent and cunning as a fox; how could he not see through Dao Xuanji’s scheme?”

“Perhaps he wasn’t used as a tool to kill someone else, but merely took advantage of the situation and went with the flow.”

Bazun An listened in silence, offering no comment.

“Dao Nitian, shut up! Just shut up!”

Inside the array disk, Yue Gongli’s soul form bounced wildly, listening until his wounds nearly ruptured, almost shattering into soul fragments again.

“I didn’t do it on purpose!”

“You have to understand the bond between siblings. She might hit me sometimes, but at crucial moments, I’m still a person, I have feelings!”

“When I heard that news about her, when I saw such a massive commotion within the clan, with all the clan elders mobilized, how could I not panic?”

“A desperate person will try anything; what’s wrong with me seeking out Bazun An? What’s wrong with the battle pausing for a moment? Is anything more important than my sister?”

“Brother-in-law, you should understand, I was simply in a panicked state because I cared!”

But...

These words...

Yue Gongli didn’t dare to utter them aloud. He no longer dared to face Bazun An, knowing that by unfortunate coincidence, he had seemingly become the culprit behind the “fall” of the Eighth Sword Immortal. And whenever he thought of this, the owner of that Divination Puppet—no, the owner of the Xuanji Star Seeker who delivered the “critical information” at the time—would be mentally stabbed with a few more arrows of hatred:

“Dao Xuanji!”

“You truly deserve to die!”

Dao Qiongcang considered himself never to be a backbiting villain. Since Bazun An remained silent and Yue Gongli didn’t jump out to object, he dared to openly provoke them both:

“Isn’t that right?”

“Even if you, too, are swayed by emotion, we can set aside the complex and incredible process in between and consider this from a ‘result-oriented’ perspective: Who benefited?”

He snapped his fingers: “Yue Gongli!”

“What benefit did Dao Xuanji gain from this?”

“Yes! She harmed the Eighth Sword Immortal and stripped Yue Gongnu of her Saint Emperor successor status. But is she the type to damage others without benefiting herself?”

“No! From a long-term perspective, this set the stage for the later demise of the Lei family, preventing you from acting. But the gain is too small! That’s not Dao Xuanji’s style!”

“Who truly reaped exorbitant profits from this incident?”

*Snap!* Dao Qiongcang snapped his fingers again, declaring emphatically: “Yue Gongli!”

Xu Xiaoshou’s face showed deep shock. The fall of the Eighth Sword Immortal, it turned out, was not just about a sword immortal’s battle. Behind it lay a sibling rivalry, and a struggle for the Saint Emperor’s succession? In a brief moment, too many chaotic thoughts flashed through his mind, bringing up the disgusting Yue Gongli who even dared to perform a public C-section.

As for these matters, Dao Qiongcang seemed to have analyzed them long ago, and calmly lectured, staring at Xu Xiaoshou’s abdomen:

“The succession of the Yue family’s Saint Emperor changed hands; my sister lost her influence and had no chance of ascending.”

“Her child, though theoretically the first successor, was not yet born, and moreover, was tainted by association with an outsider. The mother was demoted to a sacred slave, and so would the child be.”

“With her lineage gone, although I am her brother, theoretically I would be implicated. But would I, in reality?”

“No! I wouldn’t!”

“On the contrary, with neither mother nor child able to ascend, I wouldn’t be implicated; instead, I would be highly valued by my father, becoming the true Saint Emperor successor, and the future head of the Saint Emperor Family!”

His voice was like a bolt from the blue, not only striking Bazun An and Xu Xiaoshou into silence and leaving Erzhu dumbfounded, but also petrifying Yue Gongli within the array disk.

“Is that all?”

“No! Just that isn’t ‘exorbitant profit’.”

But Dao Qiongcang hadn’t stopped. *Snap!* He snapped his fingers again, calmly detailing the advantages and disadvantages:

“Once my sister is gone, I, as her deeply affectionate brother, can ensure that while the Eighth Sword Immortal might resent my clan, he is a person who distinguishes right from wrong and will certainly not resent me; on the contrary, he will assist me.”

“The more he hates the Yue clan, the more I can use this seed of hatred to befriend him closely, using him as a sword to eliminate dissenting elements and clear obstacles within my clan.”

“A sword hidden for thirty years, waiting for its day of use. The stronger you are, the more convenient you will be for me later!”

Cao Erzhu’s soul form listened in shock, muttering in a daze, appearing utterly overwhelmed. Yue Gongli was silent, his soul form inside the array disk taut and trembling uncontrollably.

“Is that all?”

“No! There’s more!”

Dao Qiongcang snapped his fingers yet again:

“Ancient sword cultivators attach extreme importance to reputation. If the battle with Hua Changdeng concludes, I only need to tell him that your victory was not glorious, that Dao Xuanji used me to assist you.”

“With a single word, I would shatter his Dao Heart, rendering Changdeng useless for thirty years. Even if he were to recover, he would surely hate Dao Xuanji.”

“Thus, I could then leverage the Peerless Ghost Sword of the Cloud Mountain Emperor Realm to strike at the Qianshi Emperor Realm, establishing a balance.”

“Coincidentally, these two clans have been the most active in recent years, attempting to threaten the position of my Cold Palace Emperor Realm, and thus deserve a suppression.”

“And the best way to suppress them, of course, is for them to fight among themselves while I reap the benefits!”

Cao Erzhu’s eyes glazed over; he felt humans shouldn’t be like this, at least not to this extent. Yue Gongli’s soul swelled, his head bulging, faint demonic energy circulating around him, a prelude to transforming into a demon.

“Is that all?”

“No, no, no, still no!”

Dao Qiongcang snapped his fingers yet again, seeing through everything with piercing insight:

“If Dao Xuanji’s scheme is followed, and I ascend later...”

“I only need to fully protect my sister but not rescue him, and outsiders will know I care deeply but am not swayed by emotion, making me a person of great use.”

“I only need to hate Dao Xuanji but not kill her, and outsiders will know I understand honor and grievances, but also right and wrong, and will not jeopardize the harmony of the Five Great Saint Emperor Families over such trivial matters, making me a person of immense magnanimity.”

“With Bazun An on my left and Hua Changdeng on my right, I can protect the Cold Palace Emperor Realm for five hundred years. The people’s hearts are with me, my reputation is with me. If I cannot achieve great things, then who can?”

“And to achieve this, within this grand five-hundred-year scheme, what do I need to do?”

“It’s not difficult; I only need to play the role of a messenger, be a supporting character for once, and say one sentence—just one sentence—that would be enough!”

He paused here. Dao Qiongcang, using Cao Erzhu’s face, a slight smirk on his lips, slowly stared at Xu Xiaoshou’s abdomen again... Suddenly, he looked startled, flustered, glancing around, then covered his lips with the back of his hand, gasping, and whispered:

“An, my sister is in trouble, return quickly.”