(TLN: For readers who skip the blog post, please note that Fifth Minister actually was Minister Diwu. Sorry for the mistake.)

Chu Yang followed. Upon entering, he found a small, glossy stone pedestal. It seemed to have been made into a sitting bench and looked like it had been used very often.

As expected, with a flourish of his sleeves, Wu Yun Liang sat down on it. He looked up at Chu Yang and stared carefully at him for a moment. The corner of his mouth revealed a smile; there was even perhaps a feel of familiarity.

“You were not bad.” Wu Yun Liang’s first sentence was short.

“Those three were people from the Golden Horse Rider Department of Great Zhao. More specifically, the Golden Horse Rider Department currently being controlled by Prime Minister Diwu Qing Rou. An extremely secretive organization!” Wu Yun Liang began explaining without giving Chu Yang a chance to talk.

“Golden Horse Rider Department, Diwu Qing Rou…” Chu Yang seemed to be thinking about something. These two names were so big in his previous life that the mere mention of them was like the sound of thunder!

The Golden Horse Rider Department was actually the secret weapon of the Great Zhao Dynasty. (TLN: Think Hollywood’s version of CIA/MI-6)

As for Diwu Qing Rou, the name might sound gentle (TLN: Qing Rou means gentle), but he was in fact a powerful and talented character; world renowned! Legend has it that this person did not understand martial arts. However, he had started reading at three, and had finished schooling at five. By the time he was thirteen, his scholarly talents had made him famous all over. He became an official at the age of sixteen, and was able to manage a whole group of towns in an orderly manner. At the age of 20, he oversaw the entire Southeast territory of Great Zhao. At 25, he became an official in the imperial court and was involved in management of the territories of the entire Great Zhao Nation. At the age of 30, he ascended to the position of Prime Minister. This person was now not yet thirty-five years old, but he served only under one person and had dominion over millions. He could call the winds and stop the waves (TLN: Not literally, of course). With control over the imperial court and military officials, he was all-powerful under the heavens!

Such achievements, there could be only one in all of time!

Before, the officials were always in conflict with each other. However, this Minister Diwu brought the scholars and the military officials together. This was because he did not merely have the capability to oversee a nation but he also had the ambition to expand beyond the borders!

Uniting all under the heavens was the biggest desire of Diwu Qing Rou!

In Chu Yang’s previous life, this Diwu Qing Rou commanded all of the Lower Three Heavens continent! It seemed that across the Lower Three Heavens, there was not one conspiracy without the shadow of influence of this Diwu Qing Rou!

It was precisely under the orders of Diwu Qing Rou that the Golden Horse Rider Department carried out the assassination of the next ruler of Iron Cloud Nation – Crown Prince Tie Bu Tian. After that, he sent the armored cavalry of Great Zhao to aggressively attack Iron Cloud and decimated them in one move. Great Zhao became as powerful as the sun at midday and took over Limitless Nation as well. From then on, all of the Lower Three Heavens was ruled by Great Zhao!

The most powerful thing about Diwu Qing Rou was the fact that he did not just use the imperial court’s power but also that of the sects in Jiang Hu. He used their conflicting interests and greed to either cause chaos or create allies. With his skillful manipulation, he gradually led them to inadvertently help Great Zhao accomplish those tasks that either it could not do or found inconvenient…

Furthermore, what was worse was that they did not notice this. If he did not admit it himself, then it was likely that the sects would be forever blinded by his deceptions!

In the previous life, when Chu Yang was looking for the Nine Tribulation Sword fragments in the Upper Three Heavens, Great Zhao nation has already conquered Iron Cloud and Limitless. It has already began to expand its borders beyond that. The name Golden Horse Rider Department had become a permanent fixture under the heavens because of these conquests.

Wu Yun Liang naturally did not know that Chu Yang knew these things and had continued to explain to him what the Golden Horse Rider Department was.

“This disciple only wants to know why you did not stop it?” Chu Yang’s eyes narrowed.

“Why should I stop it?” Wu Yun Liang smiled.

“Huh?”

“These past years, I have, without fail, gone with second martial brother to that ‘cultivation spot’.” Wu Yun Liang smiled sarcastically, “Even though he did not know it, I already knew since that very first contact they made five years ago.”

Chu Yang became even more alarmed. While he was still looking at Wu Yun Liang’s warm face, he could not help but felt a sense of loss rising up inside him.

In his previous life, because the sect was destroyed and Chu Yang never had any interaction with this sect master, he looked down on him. A master who let his sect get destroyed was not worthy of any mention. But now that he knew Wu Yun Liang to be shrewd person… Anyone who thought that he was dumb would truly be the dumb one!

Actually, when you think about it, no one becomes a sect leader by being an idiot. (TLN: I beg to differ; there are plenty of lucky idiot heroes in wuxia.)

However, Wu Yun Liang did let a conspiracy develop for five years!

Why?

Chu Yang looked at Wu Yun Liang’s composed face and seemed to vaguely understand a little bit.

“At first they wanted to incite a rebellion inside Beyond the Heavens Sect… Truthfully, since I became Master of Beyond the Heavens Sect, the other martial brothers were disgruntled. The elders of the sect even started to split into factions… a rebellion was already starting. A situation like this needed to be purged before the sect can grow stronger.” Wu Yun Liang said with a heavy heart, “That is why I let him do what he did. If I was not successful, then the sect would have been destroyed anyway. There was nothing more to say.”

“But by the second year, they gradually exposed their true purpose. That was to use the excuse that Beyond the Heavens Sect colluded with outsiders to start a war between Great Zhao and Iron Cloud. Using this pretext, they would pay only a small price to destroy Iron Cloud and further their plans to unify all under the heavens.”

“How can this be?” Chu Yang said fearfully, “Beyond the Heavens Sect, no matter how strong, is only a sect. How could it be in the position to spark a war between two countries?”

“Nothing is impossible. What’s important is whether you do it and how you would do it.” Wu Yun Liang laughed coldly.

“Uh, sect master, why did you say these… things to me? Was this not the first time we met?” The more he heard, the more Chu Yang became uneasy. He felt as if he was be pulled into a quagmire of a big conspiracy. His legs was covered in mud and he had no way of pulling them out.

“Calm down, don’t rush. Of course I told you for a reason. Have a seat first.” Wu Yun Liang glared.

Chu Yang reluctantly raised his eyebrows and found a rock to sit on. It might have been deliberate or unintentional, but the rock he was sitting on was bigger and taller than that of Wu Yun Liang.

Earlier when he was standing and Wu Yun Liang was sitting, it seemed like he was the subordinate listening to orders. However, now that he was sitting down, even though his height was about the same as when he was standing, the appearance seemed to have reversed with Chu Yang looking down from above.

The Sect Master was sitting below him; this situation was indeed paradoxical.

Wu Yun Liang raised an eyebrow, and laughed as if it was nothing. He looked at Chu Yang without paying any mind to his disrespect and continued to talk.

Chu Yang let out a pained laugh internally. He only needed Wu Yun Liang to give one hint of discontent, then he would have a reason to take his leave and escape from this predicament. Surprisingly, this cunning man was not bothered by it at all.

Curiosity can kill. This is true enough.

Chu Yang was full of regrets. Did I have nothing to do but follow those three? I have bought my own noose…

“Even though the Crown Prince of Iron Cloud, Tie Bu Tian, is still young, only seventeen or eighteen, he is extremely talented. Moreover, he values the forces in Jiang Hu, especially martial artists. With his own hands, he created a place called Bu Tian Pavilion, a place for gathering heroes from all over! Particularly, this person has respect for the wise; he searches for good talents and treats them generously. He is a rare youth! Iron Cloud Nation’s King Tie Shi Cheng is sickly and constantly bedridden. The whole country depends on Tie Bu Tian for day to day operations… Even though he has not ascended to the throne yet, he is the pillar of Iron Cloud military!”

“You can say that if Tie Bu Tian died, Iron Cloud nation will definitely fall!”

Chu Yang drooped and mumbled in agreement.

Talented youth, then what? He will be killed three years from now. The country will be destroyed along with him. Chu Yang clearly remembered the prince of Iron Cloud Nation’s death was because Great Zhao sent more than five hundred expert martial artists. They even had to spend a large sum of money to hire assassin organizations in order to be successful. However, no one was alive afterward!

At the time, this story shook the whole world. Iron Cloud national also retaliated with extreme cruelty; it was a blood soaked revenge. Thousands died in the four districts on Great Zhao border – even livestock were not spared! It was clearly seen how important the Crown Prince of Iron Cloud was…