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Chapter 31: Conspiracy

Carefulness ensures a ship\'s thousand-year voyage.[1] The more Wu Yuan saw through the underlying principles of this world, the more vigilant he became.

Let\'s begin. Wu Yuan approached the pigsty.

Night descended as Wu Yuan commenced his biological experiment. In the darkness, Li City swirled with undercurrents.

Inside a brightly lit study of the mayor\'s manor.

"Sir, the Luo family, Wang family, Xu family [2].....these eight major families have all agreed, they\'re willing to jointly sign a letter accusing Xu Shouyi of protecting gangs, causing wanton harm to the villages and trampling over the sect\'s laws," a respectful elder in a white robe reported, "However, the Guan family of Dongye Municipality has explicitly stated that they will not participate."

"Guan Zishan, that old geezer." A hint of severity flashed through the eyes of the cultured Jiang Dongque, but it was soon followed by a sigh of resignation.

Guan Zishan, formerly a first-rate Adept, was previously a high-ranking general of the Chu-Jiang Empire. Although not part of the sect\'s core, the Guan family continued to prosper even after the collapse of the empire and his return to his hometown in his old age. Dongye Municipality was practically his private fief, and now, disciples of the Guan family were beginning to join the sect\'s headquarters.

Though he was a county mayor, he was unwilling to provoke the Guan family.

"Forget it. The joint signatures of eight families, together with the remnants of the captured Vicious Tiger Gang, and the evidence collected in secret over the years, should be just about enough," Jiang Dongque decided.

He then turned towards Meng Qiang, "Brother Meng, how are things on your end?"

"The Wu Clan refuses to admit that the martial academy major tournament was rigged," Meng Qiang towered over the others, his voice booming like a bell, "Given the stance of the Wu Clan and Wu Yuan, it doesn\'t seem fake. Could we have made a mistake?"

"Mistake?" Jiang Dongque smiled and gently shook his head. "The Enforcement Bureau officers briefed me moments ago. They\'ve uncovered that a few days back, the Xu faction deliberately instructed the Vicious Tiger Gang to target the Wu Clan, raising this year\'s tribute from 3000 taels to 8000 taels!"

"According to the words of the convict, ‘we aren\'t asking the Wu Clan to make additional payment. Since they took the money, of course they should spit it back out’," Jiang Dongque said. "However, the Xu faction didn\'t state clearly what task the Wu Clan failed to accomplish."

Meng Qiang was slightly surprised. After a moment of thought, he said, "You mean to say, the Xu faction spent 5000 taels to bribe Wu Yuan so that he would throw the major tournament. But in the end, the young master of the Xu Clan ended up losing to Liu Ruyan?"

Jiang Dongque nodded subtly.

"But what can we do if the Wu Clan doesn\'t admit it?" Meng Qiang furrowed his brows.

Without a victim, plus the fact that Xu Yuanhan was fairly defeated, would the higher-ups believe it even if the matter was reported to the sect? They might dismiss it as mere fabrications from Jiang Dongque.

"It’s not a problem. I will have someone \'accidentally\' leak this news to the Xu faction," Jiang Dongque said lightly. "The Xu faction will think that the Wu Clan is preparing to jointly accuse them."

A look of confusion appeared on Meng Qiang\'s face.

"In truth, we can\'t be certain if the martial academy major tournament was rigged," Jiang Dongque said, "Judging from Wu Yuan\'s current prowess, it seems unlikely he would have lost. However, even with the Vicious Tiger Gang\'s account, we lack concrete evidence to prove it."

Meng Qiang listened. Although he was strong, he didn\'t quite understand these intricate schemes and concealed desires.

"If there was no manipulation, once Xu Shouyi knows that the Wu Clan falsely accused him, he will only settle scores with them after autumn considering his nature," Jiang Dongque smiled subtly. "But if it was indeed rigged, don’t you think Xu Shouyi will take preemptive action out of fear once if knows that the Wu Clan is going to accuse him?"

Meng Qiang was taken aback, then immediately frowned again. "But the Wu Clan refuses to admit it, they are not intending to accuse him."

"It doesn\'t matter whether the Wu Clan admits it or not," Jiang Dongque said with a light smile. "As long as this matter is true, suspicions will fester between both sides, and Xu Shouyi will have no choice but to address the situation by silencing them."

"Even if the Wu Clan tries to clear up the air with Xu Shouyi, do you think Xu Shouyi will trust them? By then, as long as the Wu Clan doesn\'t want to be exterminated, they can only listen to me and accuse the Xu faction for real," Jiang Dongque was very confident.

Meng Qiang couldn\'t help but nod. This was a conspiracy! As long as the Wu Clan truly endured injustice from the Xu faction, suspicion would surely creep between them, making trust difficult.

"Harboring bandits in secret, poisoning the populace; that is a crime! Meddling in local affairs from the shadows; that is a crime! Manipulating the martial academy major tournament; that is an even greater crime!" Jiang Dongque\'s gaze turned icy, "With all these crimes combined, even if Xu Shouyi doesn\'t fall from power, he will no longer dare to challenge me."

Meng Qiang sighed silently. Martial artists were straightforward people, preferring direct confrontation. How could they understand these scholars and their cunning schemes?

The Wu Clan is truly unfortunate. Clearly uninterested in getting involved, yet forcefully dragged into this mess. Meng Qiang shook his head in silent disapproval.

He wasn\'t particularly close to the Wu Clan, nor did he feel pity for them. He merely found it lamentable.

...

Days passed.

Under the combined assault of the army of defense and the city guard, the once rampant Vicious Tiger Gang of Li City was completely eradicated. The remaining members were either killed, captured, or fled in disguise!

Apart from visiting his home and the martial academy once in a while to get updates on current affairs, the rest of Wu Yuan’s time was spent in the rented courtyard house.

It’s day three! I have enough data to draw a clear conclusion. Wu Yuan stood next to the pig pen, staring intently at the ten large pigs within.

Three days ago, these ten pigs were nearly identical. Now, there were clear differences between them. Five of the pigs had shiny skin and were noticeably larger. The changes in one large boar were particularly distinct, and it even faintly emitted a fragrant scent.

A mere trace of this mysterious liquid, mixed into the feed of these five pigs, resulted in such noticeable changes. What if it was consumed in its entirety? The effects would be inconceivably potent!

Wu Yuan was no scientist nor alchemist, he was incapable of analyzing the components of this mystical liquid. Nonetheless, three conclusions could be confidently drawn: Firstly, the liquid was not poisonous. Secondly, it greatly accelerated the development and growth of living organisms. Thirdly, even in small quantities, its efficacy was astounding!

Oral administration proves effective. Wu Yuan\'s gaze shifted to another two large pigs. Topical application doesn\'t yield noticeable changes.

He had divided the ten pigs into four groups. One group was given a large dose of the mysterious liquid, one was given a smaller dose, one group had it diluted in water and applied externally, and the last group was given their regular food with no exposure to the liquid at all.

In the end, ingestion proved to be the most effective!

Of course, the so-called \'large dose\' was just a relative amount.

The three-day experiment consumed less than one-tenth of the total liquid in the jade vial. I shouldn’t waste any more of it. Today, I shall test it on myself.

With the jade vial in hand, Wu Yuan returned to the center of the courtyard.

Over the past few days, he had remodeled it, completing all necessary repairs. The four walls of the courtyard were quite high, ensuring no one in a neighboring building could spy on what he was doing. One could say it was completely private!

After procuring a basin of clean water, Wu Yuan poured a tiny amount of crystal-clear purple liquid into it. The liquid slowly dissolved in the water, releasing a refreshing fragrance.

Gulp~ Wu Yuan lifted the basin, tilting his head back to take a massive swig, and then set the basin aside.

So hot! What overwhelming energy. As the solution entered his stomach Wu Yuan\'s eyes lit up. Everything was going as he had predicted.

Once the solution entered his stomach, his abdominal muscles convulsed, and the liquid immediately began to exhibit its function. A flood of energy coursed through his blood, quickly spreading to his entire body - his musculoskeletal system, internal organs, eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and even his brain. Every piece of flesh in his body, every organ, was infiltrated by strands of mysterious energy, and then began to grow stronger!

This energy is at least ten times purer than a low-grade body tempering pill. Even just a trace contains so much energy! Absorbing it doesn\'t burden my body at all!

Wu Yuan found it unbelievable. How could such pure energy exist in this world? After all, when Wu Yuan absorbed the energy from a body tempering pill, there was a limit to the body\'s tolerance despite his internal organs\' ability to filter out impurities. It had to be done gradually and progressively, so he could only train once every two days. But by absorbing this mysterious energy, he could cultivate continuously until his body reached the limit of its endurance.

Is this a natural treasure? The effects are much stronger than I had anticipated.

Little did Wu Yuan know that Ancient Immortal Dew was extremely suitable for body tempering. Even among natural treasures, it was considered one of the best, and was extremely precious. One drop of Ancient Immortal Dew could be exchanged for a divine weapon with plenty of change!

Treasures are just external powers. If I let this natural treasure flow freely, 99% of its power will be wasted.

Wu Yuan leaped into the air, striking a peculiar pose. It was an exercise in the Tiger Leopard Bone Training Technique.

Conscious control, combined with the strongest Strength Training technique, can allow me to fully utilize the effects of this natural treasure.

Wu Yuan was highly focused, pouring all his efforts into cultivation. In an instant, all parts of his body, all 206 bones came together as one, faintly trembling.

Like a glutton, Wu Yuan\'s body and muscles devoured and absorbed the mysterious energy converted from the Ancient Immortal Dew.

"Ah~" Wu Yuan felt spasms of pain in every muscle and bone of his body. His heart rate rose, and his whole body sweated as though in a sauna. A faint layer of mist began rising from his body. This was the manifestation of a drastic metamorphosis of one\'s body.

So exaggerated. Sensing the transformation of his physical constitution, he was somewhat shocked. He had never seen his physique improve at such an insane speed. The changes were actually visible, and it was several times faster than when cultivating with body tempering pills!

1. Previous line of proverb: Cautiousness captures a thousand autumn cicadas. In other words, cautious individuals can catch even the most elusive cicadas, while careful individuals can keep a ship afloat for thousands of years. It metaphorically means that being cautious and careful helps avoid mistakes and ensures long-term stability and development. ?

2. Different from the Xu in General Xu ?