Phoenix's Requiem

Chapter 234: Beating Him at His Own Game

But it was impossible for the second elder to be the black-robed man. Li Mo analyzed the situation calmly. First, the second elder had long since reached the realm of a sword saint, and it was impossible for him not to have discovered Yun Ruoyan and Shui Yun. Second, although the second elder was bossy, domineering, and eccentric, he would never do anything to harm Kongming Academy.

In that case, the black-robed man had to be a stranger not from the academy, one who had snuck into its grounds like Li Furong. However, whereas Li Furong had gotten in through the standard student selection process, the black-robed man didn’t fit the description of any male student in the academy.

Neither could he be one of the instructors or provosts, so there was only one final possibility: he had to be a laborer! Even with the outer disciples tending to the academy grounds, there was still more menial work to be done than was possible. As a result, the academy also hired some laborers responsible for dirty, tiring tasks like removing night soil and tending to the vegetable gardens, tasks which even the outer disciples were unwilling to do.

Each laborer signed a three-year contract with the academy, and they could choose to leave afterwards. In that case, the academy would hire more laborers from the foot of the Kongming Mountain.

Li Mo’s eyes gleamed: the black-robed man had very likely snuck into Kongming Academy disguised as one of these laborers!

Back in the cafeteria, after all the students had finished their meals, the outer disciples responsible for cleaning up began to sweep the floor. Most of the students had good dining etiquette, and the floor of the cafeteria wasn’t usually too dirty.

However, because of the conflict between Yun Ruoyan and Guan Tianyu, a considerable number of plates and bowls had been broken, and there was food scattered and spilled all over the floor. Although the outer disciples weren’t true students of the academy, most of them were noble-born. It was already demeaning to them to have to sweep the floors and dust the rooms, but this was on another level altogether.

The few outer disciples nudged each other, but none was willing to step up. Just then, a hunchback walked in from outside the cafeteria, an old man known to the outer disciples: the mute Old Li, who was responsible for night soil.

“Why don’t we pay Old Li to do it for us?” one of the outer disciples suggested.

The others agreed. Even though the floor looked like a disgusting mess, it was still far cleaner than excretion.

“Hey, mute!” one of the outer disciples called out, but the old man didn’t respond at all.

“Are you dumb? He’s both deaf and mute!” Another of the outer disciples stepped forward, dangling a bit of silver in front of the old man, then pointing at the ground. With exaggerated mouth movements, he said, “Help us clean the floor, and this silver’s yours.”

Old Li pretended that he didn’t understand what they were saying, but the outer disciples crowded around him and kept on blocking him until he finally relented. In the end, quashing the fury in his heart, he stooped down, took a rag that one of the outer disciples handed him, and began cleaning the floor.

Once my objective’s accomplished, I’ll take all your lives as recompense!

“Did you see what happened in the cafeteria today?” While Old Li wiped at the floor, the outer disciples began to gossip among themselves.

“I didn’t—I was helping out in the kitchen. What exactly happened?”

The outer disciple who had seen it all recounted the proceedings. “I’m telling you, that Miss Li was the funniest of them all. She ended up splattered with a whole bowl of soup, then began madly jumping up and down. No matter how pretty she was, she still looked like a fool!”

He didn’t remember much about the battle, but the sight of Li Furong being humiliated was an indelible memory.

As Old Li wiped at the floor, he criticized Li Furong internally. He’d told her to be subdued, subdued! What was she doing, causing such a big fuss?! Had her brain rotted away?

That night, Old Li—the black-robed man—once again entered Li Furong’s room. “Didn’t I tell you to keep a low profile? What happened to you in the cafeteria today?”

“That Yun girl was the one who hurt my wrist, so I wanted to get revenge on her and her two cousins!” Li Furong replied, indignant. “I was with Guan Tianyu and Rong Yueshan today as I entered the cafeteria. Rong Yueshan and Yun Ruoyan harbor a grudge against each other, and all I wanted to do was provoke them both, but then soup drenched my face!”

The black-robed man snorted. “Foolish in the extreme. Yun Ruoyan is Li Mo’s disciple. Based on Li Mo’s strength, even my little toe could have told you that Yun Ruoyan can’t be too unskilled herself. She’s definitely not as anodyne as she seems!”

The black-robed man had closely observed Yun Ruoyan in his guise as Old Li. Except for the ugly birthmark on her cheek, he hadn’t discovered anything particularly special about her, but Li Mo’s presence was enough for him to keep her in mind.

“You have to remember the purpose for which you entered Kongming Academy. Only when you’re done with your task will I permit you to exact your revenge,” the black-robed man emphasized.

“In that case, when are we carrying out the plan? I don’t want to stay here a moment longer,” Li Furoung murmured, glancing expectantly at the black-robed man.

“I’ve been looking for a chance these few days.” In the dark, the black-robed man’s eyes looked as bright as the eyes of a night leopard lying in wait. “Both Li Mo and the first elder are at the academy, so it’s not currently a good time to act. We’ll strike once Li Mo’s gone and the first elder’s alone.”

Li Furong didn’t want to stay, and neither did the black-robed man! He’d been pouring out night soil for half a year, and he was almost at the limit of his tolerance. That damnable Cang Song—he’d been the one to assign him this ridiculous job!

Without a choice, the black-robed man penned a letter to the Farsighted King, beseeching for him to find some way to remove Li Mo from the picture.

A few days later, Li Mo received a letter from the palace, stating that the Farsighted King was intending to return to the capital to visit the emperor, and he’d specially requested to see Li Mo as well. As a result, Li Xiu had written to Li Mo asking him to return at his earliest convenience.

Li Mo clutched the letter in his hands thoughtfully. In the past few days, he’d already discovered that Old Li was the black-robed man. The reason he hadn’t acted against him was because he wanted to find out whom he was working for.

One of Li Mo’s men had intercepted the letter that Old Li had sent to the Farsighted King, so he was naturally aware of its contents. He had then sent his guards to track the letter, all the way until it was delivered to the Farsighted King’s manor.

Initially, Li Mo met this unexpected news with disbelief: the Farsighted King Li Sheng was nominally his older brother, one who had given Li Mo the impression of being a virtuous, unambitious ruler concerned only for the wellbeing of his people. However, the letter that Li Mo had intercepted, along with his subsequent investigation, was conclusive evidence for his guilt.

That evening, Li Mo sat together with Yun Ruoyan in front of her bed, watching the sea of clouds drift by.

“I received a letter from the palace. The Farsighted King will be visiting the palace tomorrow, and he specifically requested to see me.” Now that it was winter, the air had only grown colder and colder, and Yun Ruoyan was wrapped in Li Mo’s embrace.

When Yun Ruoyan heard Li Mo bring up the Farsighted King, she jolted up. “The Farsighted King’s in the capital? That Li Sheng?”

“There’s only one Farsighted King in the Li kingdom, and he’s indeed Li Sheng. Yan’er, you know him?”

“I don’t know him, but I know a big secret of his,” Yun Ruoyan replied seriously.

“Oh? Tell me.”

Yun Ruoyan revealed what she knew about the Farsighted King’s planned rebellion to Li Mo. When he heard the story, he was even more convinced of his own judgment.

“It looks like this Farsighted King has been lying to our faces all this time. Honestly, he’s skilled enough to fool even me…” Li Mo replied coolly.

“The reason he’s going to the capital is to divert your attention, so Li Furong and the black-robed man can carry out the heist.” Yun Ruoyan frowned. “Li Mo, I still feel that something’s off. Since the heaven and earth array’s protecting the all-seeing mirror, no one will be able to steal it away. Surely the Farsighted King knows about this, so why is he still planning this heist?”

“That’s exactly my concern,” Li Mo replied. “I haven’t acted against Li Furong and the black-robed man both because I’ve been trying to lure out the mastermind behind all this and because I need to work out their plan.”

“In that case, how do you plan on dealing with the Farsighted King?”

Li Mo thought for a moment. “Since they’re trying to divert my attention, they must think me a threat to their plans. If I remain on the Kongming Summit, they surely wouldn’t dare to act. In that case, I’ll leave Kongming Academy temporarily.”

Early the next day, Old Li waited outside the southern tower for the outer disciples in charge of sanitation to bring him the night soil to be transported away. As they did so, they began to chat with each other.

“I’m envious that you’re in charge of Master Mo’s rooms—he’s never in his room, and he’s leaving again! You really do have it easy,” one of the outer disciples began.

“Oh? Is Master Mo going to leave? This has been the longest he’s stayed in the southern tower these few years,” the other outer disciple replied. “Why didn’t I hear about his leaving?”

“I overheard the first elder talking to him while cleaning the first elder’s room. Master Mo said that he received a letter from the emperor of the Li kingdom asking him to return to the capital today, and he’s just about to leave.”

“Oh, is that so? That means I can skive off again!”

After Old Li poured out the night soil, he left the chamber pots behind for the two disciples to clean up, then rode off on his mule-driven cart. The moment he turned the corner, Old Li’s face twisted in malice. “Finally, it’s finally time to act!”