Chapter 1815: Scheming and Shrewdness

Chapter 1815: Chapter 1815: Scheming and Shrewdness

"Lord Ou, is there any need for such formality between brothers like us? Besides, I didn’t really help much; Mu Hanyan saw through it first." Long Wucuo laughed heartily.

"That sly woman has quite the mind and depth." Ou Mingzhi said with some regret.

"Lord Ou, there’s no need to rush things. Now that she’s in Tianyang City, handling her is just a matter of time. I’ve already issued orders that no inn should host her. Let her spend a few days in the cold outside the city; it’s a way for you to vent a bit." Long Wucuo said.

"Thank you, Lord Ou, but that’s not enough to quell my anger. Since she dared to come to Tianyang City, I never intended for her to return alive." Ou Mingzhi remarked coldly.

"Isn’t that a bit improper?" Long Wucuo paused and said.

Humiliating Mu Hanyan isn’t a big deal. If Mu Hanyan made a move earlier, leaving her half-dead wouldn’t be a big issue either. After all, this is the Heavenly Sun Temple. Even if she is the Main Priest of the Huayu Temple, she would face the consequences if she dared to act out; he is in the right and no one would speak for Huayu Temple.

But when it comes to murder, especially one involving another temple’s Main Priest, it breaks the laws, and he can’t bear that responsibility.

"Rest assured, Lord Long, I naturally won’t leave any evidence. I have an idea..." Ou Mingzhi smiled faintly and lowered his voice.

"This plan indeed leaves little trace, but if someone with intent were to investigate, there might still be flaws." After a while, Long Wucuo said in a deep voice, appearing hesitant to make the final decision.

"Lord Long, you’re overthinking it. Even the Divine Lord pays no attention to Huayu Temple; who would investigate? Moreover, I have a backup plan that won’t implicate you at all." Ou Mingzhi assured.

"If that’s the case..." Long Wucuo was still hesitant.

"Lord Long, I heard the position of Young Master in the Long Family hasn’t been finalized yet. Once this is done, I’ll persuade my father to have the Dragon Chief Priest appoint you as Young Master. In the future, I’ll fully support you to ascend to the position of Tianyang Chief Priest." Ou Mingzhi offered his final terms.

"Brother Ou, we are brothers. Your problem is my problem. If Mu Hanyan disrespects you, she’s also disrespecting me, Long Wucuo. Even if you didn’t say anything, I wouldn’t let her leave Tianyang City alive. This is settled." Long Wucuo declared passionately.

The Lingyu Divine Hall and the Heavenly Sun Temple just finalized an agreement. The Main Priest of the Lingyu Divine Hall holds significant influence with his father. As long as he’s willing to help, appointing Long Wucuo as Young Master isn’t difficult. Ou Mingzhi had already been made the Young Master of the Ou Family and was set to go to the Life God Temple to cultivate. In the future, inheriting the position of Main Priest of the Lingyu Divine Hall was a certainty. With his assistance, Long Wucuo had much greater hope of becoming Tianyang Chief Priest, so he naturally didn’t hesitate further.

Despicable scoundrel. If I hadn’t offered such good terms, he would have never agreed. Brotherhood, my foot! Ou Mingzhi cursed inwardly but still plastered a smile on his face and high-fived Long Wucuo as a pledge.

...

"I heard those are people from Huayu Temple. I wonder how they offended the Long Family, they couldn’t even enter the Heavenly Sun Temple."

"What a pity, it’s one of the oldest temples on the continent, how could it decline like this?"

"After offending the Long Family, they even came to participate in the sacrificial ceremony. I heard that all the Main Priests will take action this time. Those old priests from the Huayu Temple have long passed away, and it’s said that only some young priests with no future remain. Aren’t they courting death?"

"It’s probably because they have no choice; if things continue like this, no one will remember the Huayu Temple. They’re just trying to make a statement."

"Sacrificing one’s life for publicity, not worth it."

Even sitting inside the carriage, they could occasionally hear the muttering and pointing from outside.

Sikong Qinglan and Shen Yuhe both had iron-gray expressions. Mu Tu, who was driving, felt the urge to hit someone several times, but Mu Hanyan held him back.

Luckily, the carriage moved away from the Heavenly Sun Temple, and it gradually quieted down. After all, Tianyang City was so large, it took time for gossip to spread.

"By the way, sir, last time we dealt with the bandits led by Xiang Qiuzhan, but why hasn’t there been any response from the Life God Temple, not even a reward?" Sikong Qinglan’s mood calmed a bit, and he spoke with some curiosity.

Xiang Qiuzhan was a bandit leader that even the Five Great Divine Temples had headaches dealing with, yet Mu Hanyan killed him. They originally thought that the Life God Temple would at least acknowledge it, and even the Divine Lord would personally commend them. If so, they wouldn’t be treated so unjustly today. However, they’ve waited until now with no response.

"Could it be that Long Wudang felt embarrassed and didn’t report it?" Shen Yuhe speculated.

"I suppose it still needs confirmation. You’ve all seen Xiang Qiuzhan’s strength, claiming I killed him, others might not believe it. Furthermore, his body was burned to ashes, and the Demon Dragon giant sword was also ruined. Where’s the evidence?" Mu Hanyan had long considered this issue, and replied calmly.

Long Wudang might feel too ashamed to report it, but Zhuge Qiu, as the Penalty Priest, wouldn’t dare to cover it up. However, with no evidence, even if reported, no one might believe it. Such a significant matter wouldn’t easily garner reward before final confirmation.

Truthfully, Mu Hanyan didn’t desire this accolade. She’d rather Zhuge Qiu not report it. She carried too many secrets and didn’t want to draw too much attention without enough power to protect herself.

"That makes sense." Sikong Qinglan and Shen Yuhe nodded simultaneously.

Tianyang City has five layers, and the Gu family’s house is in the third layer. Not too far inside, but not too far outside either, confirming what Shen Yuhe said. The Gu family indeed has some prestige among the priest families in Tianyang City.

By the time Mu Hanyan and the others jumped off the carriage, darkness had already fallen. Two women stood at the entrance of the house, occasionally glancing outside. Both were dignified in appearance and wore fine clothing, with several maids and guards behind them, obviously of some status.

Seeing a carriage stop outside the door and several priests step down, the two women quickly came forward. The older one remained composed, while the younger one wore a broad smile.

"I don’t know which temple the esteemed guests hail from; forgive us for not welcoming you sooner." Spoke the woman, likely in her thirties, with a slightly sycophantic smile.

"Second Aunt, it’s me, Yuhe." Shen Yuhe greeted, having not been back for years. Others had changed little in appearance, while she had grown from a young girl into a young lady, making her unrecognizable at first glance.

"Yuhe, it’s really you." The older woman grabbed Shen Yuhe’s hand joyfully, her gaze full of affection as it swept over Shen Yuhe’s face.

"Yuhe greets you, Eldest Aunt." Shen Yuhe greeted, clearly very close to the woman.

"It really is you. You’ve grown into such a young lady in the blink of an eye. Why haven’t you come to visit all these years? You have no idea how worried I’ve been. I’ve heard that times have been tough at Huayu Temple; I hope you haven’t suffered..." The Eldest Aunt held Shen Yuhe’s hand, chattering lovingly like all family members after a long separation.

"Shen Yuhe, why did you come back?" However, before Shen Yuhe could respond, the younger woman asked coldly, her smile vanished.