Chapter 444 - 230: Ye Weiyang’s Mess

Chapter 444: Chapter 230: Ye Weiyang’s Mess

Yin Qingqing kept her head bowed, showing no reaction to Xi’er’s move.

’She’s one of us.’ While sipping her tea, Xi’er secretly confirmed this. Seeing that the Prince had no intention of dismissing Yin Qingqing, she pondered for a moment, then continued.

"For years, the Night Lord contacted the Twelfth Moon personally through the Ravens. Now that all the Ravens in the land are dead, the former members of Ye Weiyang are scattered. Aside from the old guard in the north, I’ve been unable to get in touch with those in the east, west, and south."

Of course, Zheng Xiu was intentionally letting Yin Qingqing listen in.

Yin Qingqing was one of his people now, and also the bridge of communication between him and the Great Emperor. Not long ago, the Great Emperor had sent the "Jade Chopsticks" to urge Zheng Xiu to get things done. Now that Zheng Xiu was diligently cleaning up Ye Weiyang’s mess, word of these accomplishments had to "unintentionally" find its way to the Great Emperor’s ears.

’Yes, this is how a Prince should operate.’

Zheng Xiu calmly sipped his tea, praising himself inwardly.

"As for the former Twelfth Moon..."

Xi’er’s years as an undercover agent had not been in vain. She began to count on her fingers. "Upper One. I’ve asked many people. A woman who held the position of Bi Shui for ten years told me she’s never seen Upper One either. He’s practically a legend. She even doubts if such a person truly exists."

"Upper Two. Legend says that before Upper Three joined Ye Weiyang, he was the organization’s top master. Ever since Feng Bei joined, Upper Two has rarely accepted assignments. He’s basically retired."

"Upper Three Feng Bei is staying at the Prince’s Mansion, so I need not say more." Xi’er smiled, her eyes crinkling.

"Upper Four, ’Shadow Puppetry’ Jun Buxiao. He had a conflict with Feng Bei in Shuzhou not long ago. Now he’s back in the Imperial City, performing with an opera troupe. Since the Ravens died, he seems to have no intention of returning to Ye Weiyang."

"Upper Five, ’Living Dead’ Situ Yong, who follows the Physician Path. Although he draws a salary from Ye Weiyang, I heard that in his very first month as Upper Five, he took the Raven and..." Xi’er made a slicing motion, a flicker of fear in her eyes. With a note of dread, she added, "Dissected it. He’s said to be an eccentric who only treats rare and complicated illnesses. He never takes assignments."

Zheng Xiu couldn’t help but frown. "Situ Yong is with Ye Weiyang?"

Xi’er chuckled. "To be honest, Situ Yong never gave the Night Lord much face. He was a member in name only and never handled any of Ye Weiyang’s affairs. However, if anyone in Ye Weiyang got injured, Situ Yong would always treat them without hesitation. So, you could barely count him as a former member."

"As for Upper Six," Xi’er said, a hint of worry showing in her eyes. "He was something of a mentor to me. When I joined Ye Weiyang back then, he was the one who brought me in."

"What is he like?"

"He’s straightforward and always willing to help. A genuinely good person." After praising Upper Six, Xi’er’s tone became worried. "But he disappeared."

"About half a year ago, not long after Feng Bei, Zheng Shan, and I went south to find the Cannibal Painting, rumors spread from the north about Barbarians causing trouble at the border. There was... something strange about it. The Night Lord ordered him to go, and he went. There’s been no word from him since. We don’t know if he’s alive or dead."

’Another one of the Night Lord’s orders.’

Zheng Xiu always had a feeling that Zhu was setting up schemes everywhere. Hearing this, a sense of anxiety inexplicably rose within him.

"So, that’s the ’Upper Moon’ of Ye Weiyang’s old guard. Each member of the Upper Moon has power at least equivalent to the Little Celestial Position."

’Celestial Position and Star Position are evaluated using the Divine Martial Soldier as a standard unit of combat strength.’ Zheng Xiu had always scoffed at this system of power evaluation. A Miracle Master’s Miracle Technique simply couldn’t be measured by conventional notions of "strong" or "weak." ’Take me, for example. If I went all out now, I could crush Upper Four Jun Buxiao with ease. It’s not like I can just waltz into an army camp and ask to be rated as a Grand Celestial Position, can I?’

With this in mind, Zheng Xiu paid little heed to what Xi’er was saying about ’whatever-the-hell Celestial Positions.’ He just nodded, signaling for her to continue.

"As for the old Lower Moon, Lower One, Lower Two, Lower Three, and Lower Five were always the most active, constantly traveling all over the country, so they’re difficult to contact right now. The only one I know the whereabouts of is Lower Four, Gu Qiutang, known as the ’Immovable Saber.’ His swordsmanship is sublime; he achieved the miraculous through martial arts, which is quite incredible." Unaware that Zheng Xiu had already crossed paths with Gu Qiutang, Xi’er briefly explained his background before continuing.

"In Shuzhou, Gu Qiutang started a feud with Feng Bei. He’s now living in seclusion in a valley thirty li from here. I sent a messenger with a letter, but the messenger reported that after reading it, Gu Qiutang refused to return to Ye Weiyang. He has decided to focus on mastering his Swordsmanship and will not leave his seclusion."

"Besides the Twelfth Moon, the Night Lord always maintained a direct line of contact with the Twenty-Eight Constellations. Aside from a few that I’m familiar with, the rest are scattered across the land. If you want to reassemble them... well, forgive my bluntness, but you’d be better off asking Brother Shisan to find a few skilled hands from his family to fill in."

The implication was clear: many of the "Constellations" weren’t even as capable as the Assassins from the Brotherhood.

"I’ve also learned that many former Night Guards in the Imperial City have lost their livelihood and are now in dire straits. Some are performing on the streets for money, some are doing odd jobs in taverns, and some have gone back to their villages to farm. The people are scattered and morale is shattered."

Xi’er had spent over a month piecing together the current state of Ye Weiyang, and now she laid it all out for Zheng Xiu. An image of Ye Weiyang’s ruinous condition formed in Zheng Xiu’s mind, and he couldn’t help but feel a sense of rue. ’So this is the weakness of a single line of command.’ Zhu apparently hadn’t trusted anyone, always using the Ravens to issue orders and remotely control the vast organization. The moment the Crow Fosterer died, Ye Weiyang fell apart, collapsing far more quickly than Zheng Xiu had ever imagined.