How to Bring Common Sense to Xianxia World
Chapter 257: Various Movement
— Underworld Palace —
In the Lord of Death’s office, the skeletal-faced ruler hummed happily as he looked at the wooden box in front of him.
It was the same wooden box that Youqi had given to Yan Xuanjun. The Lord of Death had just received it from his third wife after she returned from the mortal world.
"Hahaha, I never thought I’d receive food as a souvenir from my lovely Xuanjun. I wonder how she managed to resist eating it all herself!" the Lord of Death said happily as he thought of his third wife.
Even though her body was weaker and not as strong as Yan Rongjun, her elder twin sister, she was quite a glutton herself.
The Lord of Death did not wait any longer. He could not help but look forward to this gift.
He gently opened the lid of the box.
The sweet, sharp, smoky fragrance of smoldering jade oak drifted into his bony nostrils as he inhaled the rich aroma.
The lid came off completely, but inside...
There were only three small pieces of Texas-style barbecue left.
The Lord of Death paused.
Then he lifted the box and examined the inside carefully, wondering if there was some hidden compartment.
He even used his spiritual sense to inspect the entire box.
"Strange... where’s the rest of it?" he muttered, staring at the three lonely pieces of barbecue left behind.
— Ximen Clan —
At Ximen Ren’s personal courtyard, he had prepared himself to travel to Emerald River to congratulate the Underworld Palace on its victory.
At first, he didn’t want to go. He hated anyone who brushed him off or failed to give him face, no matter who they were. Wei Chen’s decision not to come and meet him had made him furious.
But knowing that he lacked the ability to take revenge, he could do nothing but vent his frustration on Official Ke and keep the rest of his anger bottled up.
When the war between the Underworld Palace and the three Ancient Hidden Forces began, he even obstructed Ximen Hao with various excuses. He used his connections and influence to assign useless missions that required flying arks, preventing Ximen Hao from bringing any forces to assist Wei Chen.
When the broadcast cut off halfway through the battle, right when Wei Chen seemed to have been crippled, he had laughed out loud in satisfaction, thinking his anger had finally been vented.
He had even cursed Wei Chen, wishing for him to die a miserable and agonizing death.
But who would have thought that a few days later, the next hot topic would not be the destruction of the Underworld Palace, but the annihilation of the three armies from the three Ancient Hidden Forces?
Three f*cking Ancient Hidden Forces.
Not some lousy sects or clans.
All of them had been destroyed.
None survived.
The news had become the hottest topic across all three provinces.
And what were the Ancient Hidden Forces? How powerful were they?
They were powerful enough to make Emperor Zhu Liehuang wary and cautious. Whenever he met their representatives, he had to give them face.
And compared to the Ximen Clan?
Yes, the Ximen Clan was rich, richer than an average Ancient Hidden Force.
But when it came to pure strength and power, the Ximen Clan would lose nine times out of ten.
And the one time they didn’t lose would only be because they managed to repel the enemy after sacrificing most of the clan’s warriors.
And that was an ideal scenario.
He had to go.
He had to go there! As soon as possible!
He didn’t know whether that bastard Ximen Hao had told Young Master Wei Chen about his obstruction or not, but he needed to show his face and explain himself.
From what he had gathered, Young Master Wei was someone who disliked killing and possessed a righteous heart.
People like that...
They were the easiest to fool. That’s right.... just like this foolish bodyguard of his.
"Are we ready?" Ximen Ren asked Bodyguard Zhao, who stood nearby awaiting orders.
"Young Master Ren, Lady Song hasn’t arrived yet. Shouldn’t we wait for her?" Bodyguard Zhao asked.
For Young Master Ren’s legitimacy and his chances in the succession struggle, Lady Song was essential as his betrothed.
Their relationship was necessary.
Hearing Song Wan’s name, Ximen Ren’s expression darkened slightly.
Song Wan had once been one of his most valuable pawns. Before Young Master Wei appeared, his plans could not be completed without her.
But if he could gain support from Young Master Wei, even ten Lady Songs would not compare.
The support of a force capable of annihilating the armies of three Ancient Hidden Forces was something he could not live without.
He needed Wei Chen’s support.
Wait...
Maybe Song Wan could still be useful after all.
He had heard that Wei Chen was engaged to Mo Xingyao, the sole daughter of the leader of the Demonic Path Alliance, the Sky-Severing Demon.
And he knew that man’s personality well.
He was the type who would rather die than be humiliated.
If he learned that Wei Chen had an affair with Song Wan, he would definitely fly into a rage.
The strength of the Underworld Palace might be overwhelming, but matters of the heart were complicated.
And Wei Chen was someone with a righteous heart.
Someone like that would be very easy to manipulate.
If he could obtain blackmail material on Wei Chen and force support from the Underworld Palace...
Becoming the Emperor of this wretched empire would no longer be just a dream.
"Hahahaha! Lady Song is, as always, free-spirited. We’ll wait for her!" Ximen Ren said with a laugh.
His mask of a benevolent lord remained flawless, without a single crack.
Unknown to him, Official Ke was also watching him with a mysterious glint in his eyes, his mind working tirelessly to find a solution regarding the whereabouts of his family.
— Earth - Missisippi —
Near the Mississippi River, where the anomaly’s pillar of light was first reported, a large military base had been built nearby, with a ten-mile restricted zone surrounding the facility.
The base was called the Riverine Containment & Research Facility, and it was highly restricted. Soldiers patrolled the area with live ammunition.
Ten miles away, just outside the base’s restricted zone, a group of reporters from various news channels had set up camp in front of a warning sign.
...
[WARNING]
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PROPERTY
RIVERINE CONTAINMENT & RESEARCH FACILITY – SITE VICKSBURG
RESTRICTED AREA – NO UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY
Personnel must possess a valid Common Access Card (CAC) and Top Secret/SCI clearance with Anomaly Compartment access.
Photography, drones, and electronic devices are strictly prohibited.
Violators are subject to detention under U.S. Code Title 18, Section 1382 (Entry on Military Reservation).
TRESPASSERS WILL BE DETAINED. DEADLY FORCE AUTHORIZED.
...
The reporters were camped near the newly constructed road that had been built specifically to connect to the base.
One of them, Sarah, had been stationed there for more than a week following the elimination of the Kaiju known as Leviathan.
So far, there had been zero updates from either the government or the military.
Her friend stationed at the White House had also received complete radio silence from the staff there. It seemed that everyone had been placed under a strict gag order.
"Ugh, this is nonsense, Murphy. We’ve been camping here for almost a week, but we’ve gotten nothing from these... walking stone walls!" Sarah said, pointing at a group of soldiers patrolling nearby.
"Well, it can’t be helped. It’s their job to keep their mouths shut, you know?" Murphy, Sarah’s African-American cameraman and partner, replied with a shrug.
"Yeah, but it’s our job to pry their mouths open and get something useful!" Sarah retorted.
"You know that if you actually tried doing that, you’d get shot on sight, right? The warning sign is just over there in case you somehow missed it." Murphy let out a tired sigh as he pointed toward the sign.
This was far from the first time they had argued about it.
"I know! God! But this is frustrating! At this rate, that baldy Thomas will chew our ears off if we miss something and another channel gets their hands on it before we do!" Sarah said.
Thomas was their Editor-in-Chief, a man who loved putting pressure on his field teams.
Murphy looked at the crowd of reporters still camped outside.
At that moment, a group of reckless reporters had just been detained and were being pushed into a military vehicle for questioning. Their cameras and recording equipment had already been confiscated.
"Look! There’s a perfect example of the stupidity you’re about to commit!" Murphy said, pointing at the poor bastards being hauled away.
"It’s only stupid if you get caught," Sarah retorted.
"I’ll have you know, I have a daughter waiting for me at home. I can’t go crazy with you like we used to." Murphy warned his partner.
"Ugh! I know! Look... can’t you just stop nagging me!? I need to think!" Sarah vented.