Borrowed Sword

Chapter 179 : The Heir of Prince Rui's Probe

Chapter 179: The Heir of Prince Rui's Probe

For Chu Huaixu, any kill that fulfilled the System's judgment criteria would earn him Experience Points.

Rounded up, it wasn't much different from how the Evil Cultivators advanced their realms.

While having lunch, he brought up the matter of going down the mountain to eliminate demons with Han Shuangjiang.

『I'll go with you. It'll be good to look out for each other.』 she said.

『Sure. Then let’s head to the Disciples’ Courtyard later and pick a suitable task.』 said Chu Huaixu.

He was just going through the motions now and didn’t really take this matter to heart.

After the meal, the two went together to the Disciples’ Courtyard.

A man and a woman walking side by side—yet somehow, it felt a little different from usual.

After that thin veil of ambiguity was pierced, merely walking together like this gave rise to a subtle atmosphere between them.

Even the weather today seemed especially bright and clear.

Because of their current fame, they instantly drew attention as soon as they arrived at the Disciples’ Courtyard.

『Eh? The Xuanhuang Champion is taking a sect mission too?』

For the Disciples’ Courtyard, Chu Huaixu truly was a rare visitor.

Demon-elimination missions for Outer Sect disciples were relatively simple, and there weren’t many to choose from.

Normally, such missions were led by Outer Sect Stewards or Inner Sect Senior Brothers and Sisters, who would act as babysitters.

After all, Outer Sect disciples were basically like newbies in a starter village—easily prone to accidents.

It wouldn’t do for the mission to fail and instead let the Evil Cultivators feast and grow stronger.

For Outer Sect Stewards and Inner Sect disciples, leading such tasks was essentially senior mentoring junior.

These jobs actually awarded quite a bit of Contribution Points.

However, they required a meticulous attitude, and sometimes, patience too—otherwise, it could drive one mad.

Chu Huaixu glanced through the list and finally set his sights on a mission titled 【Demon Elimination at Chixi Ravine】.

What drew his attention to it was that the team leaders were both familiar faces.

『Liu Tianfeng and Mo Qingmei.』

The former had contributed a Fragment of the Pill King Token to Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang, which led him to obtain the Xuantian Embryo Breathing Pill, thus indirectly offering a treasure.

The latter seemed to have some unclear relationship with Old Niu.

Such gossip among the Outer Sect’s management was widely circulated in private.

Chu Huaixu had heard a bit about it too.

But what baffled him was, 『Old Niu, that square-jawed guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, actually has a romantic scandal?』

『What did Steward Mo see in him?』

Even more outrageous was that, after being rejected by Niu Yuanshan, she still had no Dao Companion to this day, remaining alone.

It actually felt quite devoted.

『She even treats us more kindly because of our closeness with Old Niu—like an elder of the family.』

『Seriously! What does Old Niu have going for him!』 Chu Huaixu couldn't help muttering inwardly.

This undercover agent sent by the Organization, and yet he had to face a beauty trial within the Dao Gate.

He wondered—did Old Niu's heart ever waver?

At this stage, Chu Huaixu had already laid all his cards on the table with the Heir of Prince Rui.

He figured Old Niu probably understood his stance by now too.

Chu Huaixu wasn’t sure whether Qin Xuanxiao or Niu Yuanshan would take any action.

In such a situation, he figured getting a bit closer to Steward Mo wouldn’t hurt—maybe it was a form of self-preservation.

『Let’s go with this one.』 Chu Huaixu said to Han Shuangjiang, pointing to the 【Demon Elimination at Chixi Ravine】 mission.

『Alright.』

……

……

Medicine Mountain, an elegant little courtyard.

Qin Xuanxiao casually found an excuse to summon Niu Yuanshan for a private meeting.

As the noble guest, it had always been Old Niu’s job to host and serve him, which made it convenient for the two to communicate.

These past few days, Niu Yuanshan had hardly slept.

He was on the verge of breaking down.

——“We have a traitor among us!”

That kind of result was something he could never accept, no matter what.

Niu Yuanshan had watched Chu Huaixu grow every step of the way, placing great hopes on him.

In his eyes, this kid might just achieve the first major success of the Organization’s grand cause!

If Chu Huaixu were ever in danger, Old Niu would gladly give his life for him.

Both personally and professionally—it was the same.

He regarded him as both a nephew and as the Organization’s future.

『But why did it turn out this way?』

If Chu Huaixu were just a double agent—a two-faced traitor—it might’ve been easier to stomach.

But now he’d taken such a firm stand!

『And he acts like he’s utterly unafraid…』

Compared to the Heir of Prince Rui, Niu Yuanshan was the type to overthink.

He even wondered, 『Could it be that Chu Huaixu’s identity was already exposed to the Dao Gate’s top echelon?』

『But he’s so exceptional, so dazzling… that the Dao Gate chose to accept him anyway?』

『Is that why he’s so confident?』

Niu Yuanshan couldn’t figure it out—he just felt a splitting headache.

His Dao Heart was cracking—deeply wounded, leaving him looking utterly dispirited.

The Erlang Wine Chu Huaixu gifted him during Mid-Autumn? He still hadn’t finished it.

The day Chu Huaixu became the Eastern Continent Champion, he drank half a jug alone—feeling utterly content.

It was as if bringing Chu Huaixu into the Dao Gate had completed his life.

At this moment, he walked into the small courtyard and stood before Qin Xuanxiao.

The other guest with the surname Qin and Eunuch Li stood guard outside the room.

『Your humble servant greets Your Highness.』 Niu Yuanshan immediately bowed.

But Qin Xuanxiao had his back to him and didn’t speak, nor did he tell him to rise.

Old Niu remained frozen in that bowing posture, not daring to lift his head.

『Mu Bingjiu, and Huo Dingyi—when those incidents happened, you had no prior signs?』 Only after a long while did the Heir of Prince Rui finally speak.

Still, he didn’t allow him to rise.

『Replying to Your Highness—now that I think about it, there were indeed signs to be found.』 Niu Yuanshan answered.

There were many things that, in the moment, seemed unremarkable—perhaps truly so. But once viewed in hindsight through the lens of a confirmed outcome, everything started to look suspicious.

『Is that so.』 Qin Xuanxiao said blandly.

Only then did he turn around and walk to stand before Niu Yuanshan.

Still in his bow, Old Niu’s eyes were locked on his shoes.

『Did you truly not know beforehand, or did you know and choose not to report it?』 Qin Xuanxiao asked coldly.

『I…』 Niu Yuanshan opened his mouth but finally said only, 『Your humble servant truly had no idea.』

He quickly added, 『Your humble servant is guilty!』

The moment he finished, he heard Qin Xuanxiao raise his voice sharply:

『Of course you're guilty!』

Niu Yuanshan instantly fell to his knees. His face showed no panic—only the resolve to accept punishment.

『Your humble servant is guilty! I ask Your Highness to punish me!』 he said while kneeling.

Qin Xuanxiao took a seat and cast a cold glance at him.

『Do you realize how serious this matter is?』

『This is no longer a matter internal to your Organization. The position of Xuanhuang Champion touches upon extensive issues and immense interests. Even His Majesty places great importance on this.』

『Someone of your rank could never understand—this is far more than a mere title!』

『Put simply—it concerns national strength!』

『You've committed a grave error!』

He had never before doubted the loyalty of members of the Organization.

After all, if you were going to doubt someone, these deathsworn warriors should be the last.

And yet—Chu Huaixu proved to be the exception.

Coupled with Qin Xuanxiao's inherently suspicious nature, he now felt some distrust even toward Niu Yuanshan.

So, he decided to conduct a little probe—suddenly uttering:

『Mu Bingjiu. End your life.』

—