Chaotic World Book-Chapter 467 - 454: The Death of Lei Ao

For Sisi, the death of Lei Ao was a blessing in disguise.

Because the one who "must" have killed him was from Xia. The Black Miao Clan would not only refrain from troubling Sisi but would seriously invite the Holy Daughter of the Spirit Clan to discuss the grand scheme against Xia.

The excuse for rebellion that Provincial Governor Lan Tiankuo lost due to being assassinated by Yue Hongling suddenly appeared again.

Clan Leader of the Black Miao, Lei Zhentang, issued a call for heroes at night, inviting all clans to gather in Dali.

The message was that since the Xia people had killed his son, no one else could escape their fate either. Why not unite and rebel?

Everyone knew this was just an excuse, but an excuse was needed.

Initially, there were ambitious chieftains wanting to take advantage of the turmoil in Great Xia to establish their independent nation, lacking only the broader consensus of the hundred chieftains.

The opposition of small clans like the Spirit Clan was a minor issue, but many major clans like the pro-Xia White Miao and Yao Clan also opposed it, essentially feeling that the current state of self-governance was no different from independence, rebelling would be pointless, how the Provincial Governor exploited the people was well known, and did Lei Zhentang not have a share in this, how could he speak up?

Sisi believed this was merely an opportunity for the Black Miao to consolidate the ambitions of various clans; once they truly rallied and formed an alliance, Shu County would dispatch troops to "suppress" them, and during the chaos of war, it was easy to unify and bring forth the strongest leader who would eventually don the imperial robe, hence founding the Dali Kingdom.

Lei Zhentang was one of the few figureheads from the Chaotic World List in the Miao Region, ranking twenty-eighth on the Earth List, slightly higher than Wang Daozhong. His influence and power were immense in the Miao Region, and with the covert assistance of Wuding, he was fully qualified for such a maneuver.

However, Sisi’s idea did not gain consensus among clans like the White Miao, who simply felt that rebelling did not benefit them.

Each had their own thoughts. The political situation in the Miao Region had been turbulent for months; the Black Miao had been maneuvering alliances among the clans.

The atmosphere had already reached peak tension by the time Zhao Changhe entered Xizhou, as could be seen from the people’s glances, the dissatisfaction of the people of the Miao Region with the Xia people was more than evident. The Black Miao lacked only the consensus of the last few clans, at which point rallying them with a call to arms while using the Provincial Governor as a scapegoat would naturally lead to rebellion. The minor clans of the Spirit Clan would have no choice but to comply.

At this time, Yue Hongling fled to the Miao Region, where she happened to meet Sisi. Learning that Yue Hongling was being chased by Wuding, Sisi secretly provided refuge, and the once unfriendly atmosphere due to Sisi having impersonated Yue Hongling dissipated, feeling instead like a joyous reunion of old friends, with the two calling each other sisters in utmost affection.

After staying for a while, Yue Hongling learned about the local situation, one not willing to endure the Provincial Governor exploiting the people, the other not wanting to be coerced into rebelling, the sisters instantly hit it off. Sisi impersonated Yue Hongling to distract Wuding, while Yue Hongling infiltrated Dali to assassinate Lan Tiankuo. On the day of the action, Zhao Changhe stepped into the fray.

With Lan Tiankuo dead, the rationale for the Black Miao’s uprising call suddenly disappeared, yet they were already poised to release the arrow and could not stop.

The assassination attempt on Lei Ao became the perfect excuse, even better than the reason to rebel against the Provincial Governor.

Lei Ao was a Young Master of a clan; his assassination was a severe political incident. The White Miao and other clans also thought, since Lei Ao had no bad record to speak of, if the Xia people might kill Lei Ao, could they also target them?

Of course, everyone was not foolish; who killed Lei Ao, what if Lei Zhentang killed his own son out of ambition? This required thorough investigation.

The next day, clan leaders from around Cang Mountain and Erhai, who lived off begging, were invited by the Black Miao Clan Leader Lei Zhentang to gather in Dali.

As the leader of the Spirit Clan, Sisi was naturally among those invited. She brought along a small team, including two protectors, a man and a woman, both of whom were faces previously unseen.

They were Zhao Changhe and the mostly recovered Yue Hongling.

Zhao Changhe was still disguised as the elder of Sisi, while Yue Hongling wore a blue Spirit Clan garment, specifically choosing a style that covered the waist, but her upright posture made her look unexpectedly enchanting. Thus her face was deliberately smeared ugly by Zhao Changhe; he did not want others staring at her.

When they entered the hall, the atmosphere was very solemn.

Thousands were in the hall, densely packed, Lei Zhentang sat in the main seat, in front of him was a stretcher covered with a white cloth, lying on it was the corpse of Lei Ao.

Many circled around Lei Ao’s body to inspect, eventually shaking their heads and withdrawing to their respective clan groups.

Sisi took the opportunity to ask a familiar clan leader, "Sister Pan, how are things?"

Pan, the head of the twelve surnames of the Yao Clan, Clan Leader Pan Wan. This was a charming lady, nearly forty years old... It seems Sisi saw everyone as a sister.

At this moment, Pan Wan’s expression was somber, and she spoke in a low voice, "He is indeed dead. I personally examined him and found no traces of Gu Technique or other magical manipulations. It’s a real corpse."

Sisi was stunned for a moment, frowning, "He really killed his own son..."

Pan Wan asked, "Had Lei Ao just left your village before this?"

"Yes, I certainly didn’t kill him."

"It’s not about you killing him; Clan Leader Lei didn’t imply that." Pan Wan glanced at her. "But this means that thousands from the Black Miao Clan witnessed a Xia person assassinating someone."

Sisi scorned, "They are all from their own tribe, they can say whoever assassinated is the assassin, can this even serve as evidence?"

"But the assassin was caught on the spot, and it indeed was a Xia person who holds an official position in Shu County, said to be named Qi Siyuan." Pan Wan pursed her lips, pointing, "Over there."

The Zhao Changhe family turned to look and indeed saw in the corner a group of Black Miao people forcing a black-clad Xia person to kneel, his head hung down in dejection.

Qi Siyuan was a swordsman from Shu County, quite a bit renowned; looking at it this way, it seemed a nailed down case of Shu County sending someone to assassinate Lei Ao.

Zhao Changhe actually sighed in relief, glad it wasn’t Li Si’an taking the fall. Seeing how the situation now seemed unrelated to Li Si’an, Zhao Changhe’s greatest worry was alleviated. He then said, "Who could be fooled by such a fake excuse, why would Shu County just go and kill Lei Ao, and why murder him in front of thousands of soldiers, what kind of foolish assassin would that be?"

Sisi gazed meaningfully towards the stretcher draped in white, "That’s not important. What’s important is that the event is real. Not everyone here is literate; most are hot-headed barbarians."

Zhao Changhe was taken aback, indeed, that was true; he had always thought everyone to be thoughtful, but in reality, most were hunters or herdsmen from the hills, who wouldn’t think much about the detailed intricacies behind the case. Once something happened, it happened, and Lei Zhentang’s objective was also achieved.

He pondered for a bit and approached the stretcher to examine the corpse.

By now, the commotion in the hall had gradually subsided. Most people who wanted to see the body had seen it; Qi Siyuan caught on the scene was laid out there, the facts clear, there was little else to learn. Lei Zhentang quietly watched as each clan leader returned to their seats and spoke softly, "Have everyone seen clearly now?"

Pan Wan suggested, "Why not let the murderer confess a few words, why did he do it?"

Then someone from the Black Miao grabbed Qi Siyuan’s hair, and as he lifted his head, his expression was still very haughty, "Prefectural Magistrate Zhai hates the poor quality of the jade supplied by Lei Ao, reprimanded him several times, but Lei Ao remained indifferent, making Prefectural Magistrate Zhai feel his dignity was challenged, so he sent me to teach him a lesson in public! The majesty of Great Xia cannot be challenged by you barbaric Alien Clans!"

An immediate surge of fury erupted in the hall, "Damn, this is outrageous!"

"Let’s overthrow him, what’s so great about Zhai Muzhi!"

"Why would they not know why the quality of the jade is poor!"

Even Pan Wan shook her head, somewhat believing these words, it indeed seemed like something the Xia bureaucrats would do.

Lei Zhentang watched the enraged crowd with a slight smile flickering in his eyes, speaking gravely, "Everyone, since our King was deceitfully assassinated by Xia Longyuan, the Dali Kingdom has been abolished, our tribes shattered, and we have been oppressed by Xia for decades. You all know how we have lived these years. Lan Tiankuo just took office a month ago, do you know how many women he has demanded from you? He doesn’t even spare wives and daughters!"

"Now it’s my son!"

"One day it will be your sons!"

"This kind of life, being slaves, I, Lei Zhentang, do not wish to continue. Do you still want to?"

His voice resounding, stirring a boiling response in the hall, an incongruous voice suddenly interrupted, "This dead man isn’t even your son, what are you yelling about?"

Lei Zhentang’s voice caught in his throat, furiously yelling, "Who are you!"

Immediately, people gathered around, whispering to Lei Zhentang the introduction of this Spirit Clan protector Sisi, who had shown a notable performance in front of their mountain stronghold the previous night.

Lei Zhentang sneered, "So it’s the Spirit Clan protector. I hear your swordsmanship is excellent, and you are close to Central Earth?"

Zhao Changhe, completely ignoring this, said, "Isn’t whether this is your son more important?"

Lei Zhentang slapped the chair armrest and stood up indignantly, "Could I not recognize my own son?"

"That’s strange." Zhao Changhe pinched the corpse’s cheeks, prying open the mouth, "As far as I know, your son had lost a tooth, yet this dead person’s teeth are intact... oh, a bit decayed. This dental work isn’t bad, Clan Leader Lei, could you share this technique with everyone?"

The hall suddenly fell silent.

No one examining the body had bothered to pry apart his sealed lips.

However, how did he even think of this... and more strangely, he was sure it was a counterfeit before prying it open!

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