Chapter 309 : Bowing Willingly Like an Ox

Chapter 309: Bowing Willingly Like an Ox

Qin Xuanxiao stood with his hands behind his back, lowering his gaze to look down at Mu Bingjiu, who was kneeling on the ground.

A trace of coldness surfaced on his face as he cast a sidelong glance at the steward’s waist token in Nangong Yue’s hand.

As one in a position of authority, and while carrying out the task entrusted by the Ancestor Emperor, Mu Bingjiu’s actions had already stirred displeasure in his heart.

In his view, this was entirely unnecessary.

But if one thought deeper, it would only make him feel that this hound of the court had clearly developed feelings toward the Dao Gate.

Your respect for the Dao Gate is eroding your loyalty to 【The Organization】 and to Moon Country.

“Should this Heir address you as Niu Yuanshan, or as Mu Bingjiu?” Qin Xuanxiao said in a low voice.

The middle-aged man knelt respectfully on the ground. Though his tone was full of humility, he circulated the Spiritual Energy within his body so that his voice spread across the entire venue:

“This subordinate! Mu Bingjiu! Pays respects to His Highness, the Heir!”

Qin Xuanxiao stepped forward twice.

Thus, the kneeling Mu Bingjiu could now see the tips of his shoes.

Mo Qingmei watched this scene—watched the man she admired kneeling like this—and her face instantly turned pale.

Standing there, she suddenly felt dizzy, as if she might collapse at any moment.

“Senior Brother Niu is… a spy of Moon Country?”

Qin Xuanxiao turned toward Nangong Yue and Chu Yinyin, cupping his hands:

“Elder Nangong, Elder Chu.”

“This man has neither name nor surname. He is a death soldier spy cultivated by treacherous officials within the court, codenamed Mu Bingjiu.”

“And under him, there is another person, who infiltrated the Dao Gate alongside him, codenamed Huo Dingyi.”

“However, this person now holds a status within the Dao Gate that is beyond measure.”

“Even if this Heir were to reveal his name now, I fear none present would believe it.”

As soon as these words were spoken, not only did Nangong Yue and Chu Yinyin frown deeply, even Situ Cheng and the others nearby could not help but look over.

From their perspective, this sudden development was equally baffling. They had no idea what the Moon Country royal family was trying to do.

If this were truly some sudden act of internal self-investigation and a show of sincerity at such an occasion, they absolutely did not believe it.

At this moment, Mei Chuxue and the others suddenly had an intuition.

“Everything earlier was just buildup—even the spies within our sect.”

“The key lies only in this Niu Yuanshan, and the person who comes next!”

“Perhaps even Niu Yuanshan is merely a tool—a blade!”

Then who exactly was this person, worthy of being described as having a status beyond measure by the Heir of Prince Rui?

Even if exaggerated, this person must at least be a True Disciple!

After all, it couldn’t possibly be Nangong Yue or Chu Yinyin.

Moreover, Qin Xuanxiao had just said this person was under Niu Yuanshan.

Mei Chuxue, dressed in a slit red dress and previously sitting cross-legged, adjusted her posture and cast a deep gaze downward.

“Han Shuangjiang?”

“Or Xu Ziqing?”

“It couldn’t be…”

She shook her head. No matter which of the three it was, she found it utterly inconceivable!

Han Shuangjiang possessed a Supreme-grade Spirit Embryo and the Body of Profound Yin, equal in fame to the Pure Yang Body.

Just this alone meant Moon Country would never be willing to have her do such a thing.

Moreover, both she and Xu Ziqing were the saviors mentioned in the Dao Ancestor’s prophecy, and the latter had even become the Sword Attendant of the Bronze Sword.

“Thinking about it this way, the most impossible person… might actually be the most likely?” A handsome young figure surfaced in Mei Chuxue’s mind.

Yet she was still unwilling to believe it.

Situ Cheng and Teng Lingyi exchanged glances, their thoughts similar to Mei Chuxue’s.

Qin Xuanxiao once again looked at Mu Bingjiu and said indifferently, “Mu Bingjiu, raise your head.”

The kneeling middle-aged man obeyed.

“Tell them who Huo Dingyi is,” Qin Xuanxiao looked down at him.

Mu Bingjiu gazed at that young face. For some reason, he felt a moment of daze.

Strangely, there was almost none of the vigor of youth left on him. Instead, there was an indescribable pressure.

However, what surprised Qin Xuanxiao was that Mu Bingjiu responded with silence.

Inside the Imperial Pool, Chu Huaixu observed everything through Spiritual Vision and Spiritual Hearing from Lin Zixuan’s perspective.

In fact, when Qin Xuanxiao asked the question, he had already mentally prepared himself for Old Niu to reveal his name.

How could he not know how thoroughly people within 【The Organization】 were brainwashed?

Back when playing 《Borrowed Sword》, this organization had been exposed by players—these spies were all quite extreme.

They strictly followed every line of the “Admonition.”

Even without supervision, if they violated it, they would punish themselves.

Slapping themselves was considered mild.

People of 【The Organization】 lived their entire lives for just three things: loyalty, loyalty, and still loyalty!

All along, he had never deliberately done anything to Old Niu.

Because he simply wasn’t afraid of being exposed.

As for why he never chose to expose himself, it was purely because he feared affecting Old Niu.

If the Dao Gate learned of 【The Organization】 and began internal investigations, he wasn’t certain whether Niu Yuanshan had truly left no traces.

Chu Huaixu was a simple person.

He didn’t know whether, from the perspective of others, Niu Yuanshan was a good person.

But to him, Old Niu was at least not bad.

Moreover, Old Niu had helped him, saved him, and always treated him like a nephew.

That alone was enough.

Yet he never expected that Mu Bingjiu would also remain silent when questioned.

“Damn it, don’t do this!” Chu Huaixu’s heart sank.

This was not a good outcome either.

He would rather Old Niu just expose him.

The Ancestor Emperor sensed that Chu Huaixu’s mental state was no longer as steady as before.

He immediately instructed Qin Xuanxiao to proceed.

“Never thought, Mu Bingjiu, that you would choose the second path.”

“But to me, the ending is the same.”

On the high platform, Qin Xuanxiao was furious.

A trace of anger appeared on his youthful yet imposing face as he lowered his head to meet Mu Bingjiu’s eyes.

Even under the influence of the Emperor-level Divine Sense, he was still a young man at heart.

Now, under the watch of all eyes, this hound of the court remained silent—how could he not feel humiliated?

The Old State Preceptor, Ming Xuanji, stood quietly with his hands lowered, his hollow eyes fixed forward.

It was as if everything happening around him had nothing to do with him.

But at this moment, he raised his head slightly, “looking” toward the clouds above.

“So even he has come?” Ming Xuanji thought.

This only made him more certain that the situation was already doomed.

“Mu Bingjiu, tell Elder Nangong and Elder Chu—who is Huo Dingyi!” Qin Xuanxiao said sternly.

The response remained silence.

Below the platform, people from Mirror Country on the Eastern Continent grew indignant.

Someone shouted, “Who is it?” and immediately, the crowd erupted.

“What’s there to hide!”

“Who is it!”

“Heir of Prince Rui, announce the spy’s name!” some shouted.

A hint of surprise flashed in Qin Xuanxiao’s eyes as he looked down with interest.

Indeed, when there are many people, there will always be all kinds.

Once the crowd grows, the situation becomes difficult to control.

This was why true master strategists never designed overly complex plans—too many links meant too many variables.

One link after another existed only in storybooks.

Qin Xuanxiao looked down at him again, his tone shifting:

“Mu Bingjiu, this Heir, on behalf of the Royal Authority, asks you one last time—who is Huo Dingyi?”

“Or perhaps… let me rephrase.”

“Who is Chu Huaixu?”

As soon as these five words were spoken, the entire venue erupted.

Discussions surged uncontrollably.

Chu Yinyin, the most impulsive, slammed the table and stood up, angrily shouting:

“Bullshit!”

The Dao Gate delegation also erupted in anger.

Han Shuangjiang and Xu Ziqing both stood up.

With so many people present, the scene instantly grew chaotic.

Chu Huaixu?

He said Chu Huaixu?

At that very moment, from the clouds above the Nine Heavens, a tremendous pressure descended.

It instantly silenced everyone, leaving them unable to speak, barely able to breathe.

Even the great cultivation powerhouses on the platform were affected.

Situ Cheng and the others immediately thought of one person.

“This level of power… is it the Guardian of the Nation of Moon Country?”

A Fifth Heaven of the Ninth Realm existence.

Only Qin Xuanxiao, Ming Xuanji, Lin Zixuan, and Mu Bingjiu were not suppressed.

“Mu Bingjiu, do not forget your identity!” Qin Xuanxiao spoke again.

Mu Bingjiu remained kneeling.

Earlier, he had raised his head.

Now, he slowly lowered it, pressing his forehead to the ground.

For some reason, Niu Yuanshan recalled that day.

That day, Chu Huaixu had said: Steward Niu, I’m not asking you to let me go—I’m asking you to let yourself go.

He sighed softly in his heart.

If he could have let go, he would have done so long ago.

He could not let himself go.

But perhaps… he could let him go.

Just like the thought he had after being saved by Chu Huaixu during that mission down the mountain.

Many people lived their lives carrying cages.

A bird in a cage hates that it cannot spread its wings.

A man in the world, even like Bajie, finds it hard to become Wukong.

He may have understood everything, but his life experiences prevented him from taking that step.

He was old—so old that he had grown used to it.

If not for 【The Organization】, he would have frozen to death on that snowy night.

But Huo Dingyi—no, Chu Huaixu—was still young.

A True Disciple of the Dao Gate, the Xuanhuang Champion…

Respected by his elders, highly regarded among peers, with brothers and Dao companions by his side…

“This is a different life. Let him live it,” Old Niu had thought that day.

At this moment, this willing ox of the Dao Gate bowed his head to the ground.

Facing Qin Xuanxiao’s question—“Who is Chu Huaixu?”—Niu Yuanshan answered:

“Chu Huaixu is simply Chu Huaixu.”

“This subordinate has long reported—Huo Dingyi is already dead. Does Your Highness not know?”

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd was once again shocked.

Qin Xuanxiao stood on the platform like a clown.

Everything today felt like a grand farce.

Among the many present, some conspiracy theorists began to harbor doubts about Chu Huaixu’s identity.

But most people simply felt everything was inexplicable.

What was going on?

Qin Xuanxiao’s face turned ashen, but the voice of the Ancestor Emperor echoed in his mind again, instructing him.

“Mu Bingjiu, I never thought even you would be so stubborn.”

“Chu Huaixu is now within the Imperial Pool. If he were not of Moon Country, how could he absorb the Emperor-level Divine Sense? How could he bear the fate of Moon Country?”

These words brought even more confusion.

Even Qin Xuanxiao himself was bewildered.

In his heart, anger surged.

Because he believed the Emperor-level Divine Sense belonged to him.

“He actually… stole my fortune!” he roared inwardly.

This was something he would never allow.

But he had to obey the Ancestor Emperor.

Because his life and death were in a single thought of his—just like the Imperial Grandfather in the palace.

This was both the blessing and the price of the Moon Country royal family over centuries.

“Mu Bingjiu, since you remain stubborn and your sins are grave—take your own life,” Qin Xuanxiao said coldly.

On the platform, Nangong Yue and Chu Yinyin immediately moved to stop him.

Situ Cheng and the others hesitated briefly before following.

No one believed things could be this absurd.

There must be hidden truths.

Niu Yuanshan could not die!

But from the Nine Heavens, an irresistible force descended.

Nangong Yue realized her earlier voice transmission had likely been intercepted.

At that moment, the kneeling man relaxed slightly and exhaled.

“Yes,” he said. “Mu Bingjiu obeys.”

Was he finally free?

Blood splattered.

Mu Bingjiu’s burning blood stained his long-lost homeland.

Inside the Imperial Pool, Chu Huaixu’s mind shook violently.

Endless rage surged within him.

And this was exactly what the Ancestor Emperor had been waiting for.

Only one final incense stick of time remained.

This was the moment he wanted!

The entire formation emitted an even brighter blood-red radiance.

Strange forces surged into Chu Huaixu’s body.

Four strands of Divine Sense, carrying blood-red power and part of Moon Country’s fate, attempted to break into his Sea of Consciousness.

Behind the hazy mist, Lin Zixuan sighed softly.

“The final incense stick…”

She sealed part of her Qi and Divine Sense, then opened the jade bottle and swallowed all three doses of the medicine.

She closed her eyes, activated the medicinal effect, and silently circulated the final portion of 《Bridal Garment》.

After one incense stick, her Qi Lockdown would be released.

At that time, driven by instinct, she would act purely on bodily impulse.

Inside the Imperial Pool, Chu Huaixu’s body was no longer restrained.

He began making strange movements.

Because control over his body was being contested.

Under the blood-red light, his eyes turned crimson.

Endless fury tore at him.

Before, he had been thinking: What should I do?

Now, madness began to spread.

He wanted him dead—wanted the Emperor-level Divine Sense dead!

He had not found a way to save himself, but he knew how to perish together.

For cultivators, the life-bound magical treasure was connected to their will.

Before the first Imperial Pool lay Chu Huaixu’s clothes and belongings.

A black bead slowly floated upward.

Along with the sword scabbard, it drifted toward the tenth Blood Pool.

But powerful restrictions blocked the way.

Neither 【Ding Fengbo】 nor 【Dao Birth One】 could unleash their full power due to their master’s low cultivation.

Yet in the next moment, under his will, 【Dao Birth One】 drew out the Accursed Pill from within the cauldron.

Baleful Aura—the most evil force in existence—devoured all things.

And this Accursed Pill, refined from it, was even more terrifying.

It slowly drifted toward the Imperial Pool.

The formation tried to block it, but the restriction barrier began to distort, its power being devoured.

It pierced through the restriction and flew toward Chu Huaixu.

Control of the body was still contested.

The Heart Sword and 【Southward Sunlight】 unleashed their final strength, temporarily forcing back the Emperor-level Divine Sense.

Chu Huaixu, always one to repay grudges, grew even more frenzied in the face of possession.

As long as the other died!

“Now!”

“Damn it—die!!”

Under his command, 【Dao Birth One】 drove the Accursed Pill into his body.