Under normal circumstances, Jiang Hengchuan always resembled a young farmer, with dark skin, plain features, thick eyebrows, and large eyes, exuding a rustic aura. Even when he was in the state of unity with heaven and earth, seemingly a part of the cosmos, enjoying the genuine pleasures of life with ease and contentment, he still appeared as a farmer—though more like a hermit-farmer who tilled his own land and gazed leisurely at the southern hills.
But now, a smile lingered on his lips, and he spoke eloquently with boundless confidence and endless composure. His entire demeanor radiated vitality, as if he had transformed into another person entirely—wise and assured, like someone holding all the answers, completely unlike a farmer.
People are defined by their temperament, not their appearance, and Jiang Hengchuan profoundly “demonstrated” this point.
“Very well said,” Meng Qi suddenly spoke up, clapping his left hand gently against the back of his right hand that held the sword, mimicking applause, though his face bore no smile.
Jiang Hengchuan nodded in acknowledgment and then turned to Qiu Fei, saying, “Brother Qiu, actually, you needn’t be afraid. Before we eliminate the evil mastermind, we still need you to cooperate with us. Even if the villain decides not to kill us and instead chooses to collaborate in opening the inner vault, we still won’t harm you. Otherwise, wouldn’t that only benefit the villain, letting him reap the rewards alone?”
“And if, by fortunate coincidence, we manage to kill the villain, you still won’t be in danger, because Brother Su won’t allow it. The best situation is a balance of power among the three of us. If it were just me and him left, wouldn’t he feel uneasy? After all, oaths sworn on one’s Yuan Shen can’t cover every possible scenario—they always have loopholes. The only reason we don’t violate them is because the interests aren’t sufficient.”
He candidly admitted that his cooperation with Meng Qi was temporary and self-serving, aiming to persuade Qiu Fei with this reasoning.
Upon hearing this, Qiu Fei seemed slightly tempted and glanced toward Meng Qi.
“I was just exaggerating earlier to convince him to cooperate,” Jiang Hengchuan transmitted mentally.
At this moment, Meng Qi revealed a faint smile and directly said, “But I think what you said at the very end was quite accurate, Wenqu Star Lord.”
“Wenqu Star Lord?” Qiu Fei inhaled sharply. He had sensed something off about Jiang Hengchuan before, but he had never imagined that he was actually Wenqu Star Lord—the very Wenqu Star Lord who had stirred up the entire Maoling situation!
Jiang Hengchuan’s smile wavered slightly but remained unchanged. He continued smiling confidently and calmly:
“When did you figure it out? I mean, not just that you sensed something wrong with me, but that I was actually Wenqu Star Lord?”
He offered no denial, directly and openly admitting it. With his hands lowered and his aura restrained, he appeared to be merely chatting casually, but both Qiu Fei and Meng Qi knew that he could erupt into violence at any moment.
“To be honest, at first I really didn’t expect it. You invited Young Master Wang to ‘play chess’ and compete in strategies, yet you yourself became a mere pawn on the board, seemingly just an insignificant participant—this didn’t quite match the image of a mastermind lurking behind the scenes. It was quite unexpected,” Meng Qi replied calmly, holding the heavy “Heaven’s Wound,” his black martial robe slightly dampened by the drizzle, smiling as he spoke, unhurried and unflustered, neither alarmed nor angry, just like a friend in conversation.
“At the time, Young Master Wang told me that no matter what choice I made or how I responded, I would inevitably fall into the trap. This puzzled me greatly. Later, I gradually developed some suspicions. How could someone ranked among the top ten in the Human List act so impulsively and recklessly, not even giving me a chance to fully speak?”
Jiang Hengchuan nodded with a smile: “The most important elements of a trap are only two: the victim and the aggrieved party. If the aggrieved party is actually the one who set the trap, then the victim will inevitably fall into it, as long as the scene is arranged convincingly enough. Then, the opportunity arises to kill the victim, followed by a performance of ‘regret’ for acting too hastily.”
“If I hadn’t gone to Tingfeng Pavilion back then and had returned to my own courtyard instead, I probably would have discovered a corpse inside the coffin, and the aggrieved party would have come knocking on my door,” Meng Qi sighed. “And if I hadn’t been killed on the spot, you could then smoothly turn hostility into peace, using your role as the aggrieved party to join forces with me, incorporating this unexpected piece into your chessboard.”
Qiu Fei listened intently, as if trying to study others’ strategies and plots to avoid falling victim to them in the future and mistaking enemies for benefactors.
Jiang Hengchuan nodded with a smile: “That’s right.”
He remained unusually open and confident, showing no pressure despite facing both Meng Qi and Qiu Fei.
“After the incident where Chu Guan, the deputy leader of the Jiang River Gang, committed suicide, I became certain you were part of the behind-the-scenes forces, though I never expected you to be the Wenqu Star Lord,” Meng Qi continued unhurriedly, explaining his evolving thoughts. “At that time, you probably didn’t expect that I could actually ‘extract’ information and track down Chu Guan, did you?”
Jiang Hengchuan’s smile slightly faded: “Indeed, I hadn’t expected you to make that artisan recall Chu Guan. Otherwise, I would have killed him earlier to silence him. I must remember this lesson: only the dead won’t leak secrets. Later, I had no choice but to sacrifice Chu Guan to mislead you.”
“You took the opportunity when we went to look for Dai Qingshou, transmitting secret instructions to your subordinates on the street via mental communication?” Meng Qi asked with interest.
“Correct,” Jiang Hengchuan replied calmly. “Originally, I intended for Chu Guan to escape, but when I left the house, I changed my mind, deciding to use this opportunity to mislead you and provoke Young Master Wang.”
“After you regained your senses, you would surely realize that shouting ‘Wenqu Star Lord, help me take revenge’ was too deliberate, like a setup. Who in their right mind would expose their own people like that? Thus, Wenqu Star Lord disappeared from your thoughts. But Young Master Wang could easily see through this trick, recognizing it as my challenge to him, which would intensify his desire to play chess and shift his focus to that, neglecting other matters.”
Meng Qi sighed: “Fortunately, I suddenly calmed down completely at that moment, my mind becoming clear, and I immediately saw through this layered mental trap. When you reminded me the next day, I became certain that you were suspicious. After that, I decided to play along and see exactly what you were trying to do. I absolutely didn’t believe that competing with Young Master Wang in strategies was your true objective.”
“So you figured out I was suspicious that early on? I thought that after several subsequent incidents, our friendship had deepened and our coordination improved. I never expected you to be so calculating—I almost fell for your act,” Jiang Hengchuan sighed, seemingly praising.
Of course, life is like a play—all depends on acting ability… Meng Qi silently thought to himself.
“After dealing with Brother Qiu and the Eight-Armed Heavenly Dragon incident, I realized that Dongyang’s secondary mansion was your true target. But I always couldn’t understand what assurance you had to accomplish it. Why make a simple task so complicated, drawing in Young Master Wang, Qingyu, and others?”
“That’s right, why indeed?” Jiang Hengchuan asked with a teasing tone, seemingly in a good mood.
Meng Qi’s lips curled into a smile as he spoke leisurely: “It wasn’t until Master Ren sighed in front of me about a friend’s sudden death and his own helplessness that I suddenly realized, elevating my thinking to the level of the entire chessboard. The Eight-Armed Heavenly Dragon and the Three Eagles of Yunling probably had deep ties to Master Ren. In a normal operation, you would likely expose yourself, drawing threats from powerful experts. Therefore, you grandly invited nearby top-ranked martial artists, especially Young Master Wang. Once they arrived, the mysterious Master Ren would naturally hesitate to act rashly, fearing repercussions.”
“And you, taking advantage of this chaotic situation, engaged in various seemingly meaningless actions, appearing to compete with Young Master Wang in strategies, but actually diverting his attention to cover your true intentions—then killing Brother Qiu, slaying the Eight-Armed Heavenly Dragon, obtaining two fragments of the Dongyang Seal, and stealthily acquiring the treasures inside the inner vault.”
Jiang Hengchuan gradually let his smile fade:
“Unfortunately, you realized it too late.”
“The success or failure of a conspiracy ultimately hinges on concealing your true objective. Once this is achieved, everything else is secondary—no need for every piece to fit perfectly, no need for intricate craftsmanship.”
This was Wenqu Star Lord’s insight into strategy and conspiracy.
Meng Qi didn’t seem affected by Jiang Hengchuan’s regret: “The trap you initially set had more than just the purpose of killing me or later converting me into a pawn on your chessboard. You also intended to expose yourself slightly, attracting Young Master Wang’s attention, misleading him into suspecting that you were actually Master Ren’s subordinate, and that he himself was the true Wenqu Star Lord.”
“And the key to this lay in ‘Lightning Sword’ Xiao Zhenhai. Otherwise, why would you need an undercover spy to participate in the trap? You wouldn’t lack subordinates for killing three ordinary people.”
“A single trap containing multiple objectives, hiding and shielding each other—truly worthy of Wenqu Star Lord.”
“And your guiding me to suspect Master Ren served two purposes: one was to divert my attention, and the second was to set a mental trap for Young Master Wang—someone already known to be suspicious, casting suspicion onto Master Ren. At first glance, it seemed Master Ren must be falsely accused and framed by you. But upon deeper reflection, isn’t this also a method of clearing one’s name—a method used by a subordinate to exonerate their leader?”
If not for ‘Wondersome Hermit’ Ren Pingsheng knowing that he had once tried to recruit me and deliberately revealing that he recognized Qu Jiuniang, I probably would have suspected that he, Xiao Zhenhai, and Jiang Hengchuan were working together, once again doubting their true intentions, and failing to monitor Xiao Zhenhai.
Listening to all this analysis, Qiu Fei broke into a cold sweat on his forehead. Fortunately, during his wandering in the martial world, he had never encountered adversaries like ‘Calculating Sage’ and Wenqu Star Lord, or he might have died without even knowing who his enemy was!
Hmph, Jiang Hengchuan exhaled: “You’re smarter than I imagined.”
“I just have one question I don’t understand. After getting to know you over these many days, I believe you aren’t truly cold-hearted or ruthless. Why could you bring yourself to kill Jiang Tabo?” Meng Qi sighed.
Jiang Tapu’s frozen expression showed more disbelief than fear. He probably never understood until his dying moment why the person who had been such a close cousin would kill him!
For the first time in their conversation, Jiang Hengchuan’s expression changed, showing traces of regret, hatred, and sorrow: “He betrayed me. He actually sold some of the secrets he knew to Ren Pingsheng just because he lost a huge sum gambling! Originally, I should have remained in Daxing, living quietly in a hermitage, watching Young Master Wang play chess against thin air, spending each day pondering the various incidents happening in Maoling City, using this to escalate the chaos and cover our true actions—killing the Eight-Armed Heavenly Dragon and Brother Qiu.”
“Being in Daxing gave me an opportunity, making no one suspect that the turmoil in Maoling was actually aimed at Dongyang’s secondary mansion!”
“Unfortunately, he betrayed me. Huo De discovered it and sent a letter summoning me back to Maoling. With no choice, I, this already exposed pawn, had to personally enter the game—drawing attention to myself while misleading everyone, while relying on you, Brother Su, to openly investigate Brother Qiu’s allies and search for the Eight-Armed Heavenly Dragon.”
Meng Qi sighed: “So that’s how it was.”
His expression turned solemn: “I began suspecting that you were Wenqu Star Lord when a certain thought occurred to me—that you used yourself as bait to draw attention. Suddenly, it became clear—wasn’t this exactly your own situation? But there was a key point: merely having someone drawing attention in the open wasn’t enough. You also needed a covert accomplice, someone no one could possibly suspect. Otherwise, how could you truly conceal your objective?”
“As long as you obtained another portion of the opportunity, Young Master Wang would certainly grow suspicious. Only when the three portions of opportunity were separated could you stealthily open the inner vault and take the treasures.”
Meng Qi smiled: “Moreover, the fact that you’re now calm, composed, and patiently waiting further confirms my judgment.”
Qiu Fei suddenly realized and stared at Meng Qi in astonishment: “You mean…”
“Exactly. That old Zhong is actually Jiang Brother’s ally!” Meng Qi stared into Jiang Hengchuan’s eyes.
Jiang Hengchuan clapped and laughed: “Excellent! Truly excellent! But not an ally—rather, a comrade.”
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