Chapter 1516 – Strike at Nie Liang, Attack Yang Tao, Sword Aimed at the World (55)
“Wei Ying said, ‘Young Master, there’s no need to rush… It’s not suitable for you to step forward in this matter.'”
Nie Qing asked, “Why not?”
He wanted to directly ask Nie Yang why he was acting this way towards him.
Deep down, Nie Qing couldn’t figure out how he had wronged Nie Yang even slightly.
Was their brotherhood built over many years just a façade?
Wei Ying continued, “According to the Mountain Spirit just now, there are demonic forces assisting Nie Yang. If you get involved, won’t those demons guess our intentions? It might alert them! Once the Old Minister captures Nie Yang, you’ll still have your chance to say or ask what you wish.”
Nie Qing felt ashamed and said, “This is indeed my mistake, I hadn’t considered that.”
Wei Ying replied, “After this incident, you should understand how unpredictable people’s hearts can be. Nie Yang… just treat this as a lesson…”
Nie Qing suddenly turned pale and asked, “Father’s poison… Was it really him?”
Wei Ying said, “Before the previous Lord passed, he had someone find a vial of poison in Nie Yang’s study; this poison matches what the previous Lord was poisoned with. However, that’s not enough to condemn Nie Yang. Following this, Nie Yang used a scheme to harm you, which serves as solid evidence.”
Nie Qing’s eyes were red like a rabbit’s, tears streaming down his face. “So… am I the one who caused my father’s death…?”
Wei Ying said, “The previous Lord and the Old Minister were deceived by Nie Yang. Not to mention you, who were still naive at that time.”
This situation couldn’t really be blamed on Nie Qing; all blame fell on the ruthless Nie Yang.
Since they were handling the funeral, Nie Yang and the others weren’t moving quickly. Wei Ying and his companions managed to catch up shortly after dusk.
Feigning surprise, Nie Yang asked, “What happened?”
The Messenger, in a panic, reported, “Reporting to the Lord, a great incident has occurred in the camp. At noon, Military Adviser Wei and Minister Fan both sacrificed themselves for their Lord.”
Though Nie Yang had mentally prepared for it, this news still left him dumbfounded.
However, since the deceased were “father-in-law” and “father’s minister,” Nie Yang, now wearing Nie Qing’s identity, couldn’t remain indifferent.
He cried, “It’s more than just my father… if he’s gone, what will happen to them too…?”
Nie Yang’s acting skills were clearly worthy of an award; he cried on cue, displaying heartfelt grief, as if he were another Nie Qing.
The sacrifice of Wei Ying and Fan Chen was a significant affair. Nie Yang took the initiative to meet with the Messenger, bringing very few people along.
The Messenger was a loyal confidant trained by Wei Ying. To avoid arousing Nie Yang’s and the demons’ suspicions, the Messenger didn’t know that Wei Ying and the others were completely fine, still believing they had truly committed suicide for their Lord. Before their “sacrifice,” Wei Ying had left a confidential letter addressed to “Nie Qing.”
Due to the confidential nature of the matter, he needed to dismiss everyone else for a private handover.
Although Nie Yang was cunning, Wei Ying was an old fox; the clash of wits meant Nie Yang ultimately fell a step behind.
“You do it.”
Nie Yang opened the letter and was about to read it in detail when Wei Ying’s confidant suddenly sprang up, covering his mouth and restraining him to the ground.
At that moment, a substitute who looked remarkably like Nie Qing donned mourning robes, wore a hat, and exchanged identities with Nie Yang.
“Bind him up and gag him.”
As Nie Yang struggled, several people pounced on him, tying him up tightly and lifting him in a large bag.
The substitute then continued to follow the funeral procession towards Bianzhou in Nie Yang’s place.
Nie Yang struggled for a while, realizing it was all in vain. He gave up trying.
System… what’s going on?
The System went silent for a long moment before replying, there are two possibilities. Either Nie Qing is dead, and Wei Ying didn’t sacrifice himself, but instead endured the pain to seek revenge for his son-in-law. Or, neither Nie Qing nor Wei Ying is dead, and your plan has been thwarted, and now they’re coming to capture you for questioning.
With his mouth stuffed with cloth, Nie Yang curled up in the sack.
You say… Nie Qing and Wei Ying have already seen through our plan?
The System replied, yes, it seems… I underestimated these common folks after all.
Nie Yang’s breath quickened; the sack was hot and stuffy as he was sprawled over a horse, jostling as it galloped, making his insides feel like they were about to burst.
Aren’t you quite capable? Don’t you have any rescue plan?
The System was also frustrated. This was originally a lethal trap set for Nie Qing, but unexpectedly, it took its own host down with it.
Don’t be fooled by Nie Yang’s annoying cleverness—he was secretly trying to resist, but the System felt somewhat satisfied with him.
I can’t help you right now either.
So what if Nie Yang escapes this time?
He would lose his noble identity and status, and afterward, he would have to hide and live in secrecy. His already thin imperial energy would dissipate completely. To the System, he would become useless. The only remaining value was to drain the last bit of imperial energy from him.
In truth, as one of the candidates for imperial energy, Nie Yang’s energy was not weaker than Jiang Pengji’s initially.
If it weren’t for Nie Liang’s rise and the System’s interference, Nie Yang would have become the ruler of the Nie Clan, and his imperial energy would grow stronger with his status. Who knew that the originally complacent Nie Liang would rise, taking away Nie Yang’s share of imperial energy, while another part was gradually siphoned off by the dormant System, causing Nie Yang’s luck to worsen—now he was cornered, facing the brink of collapse.
Nie Yang chuckled, “You plan to give up on me?”
The System replied, “It’s not that I want to give up on you, it’s that you aren’t fighting hard enough.”
Nie Yang sneered, “Then why don’t you leave?”
The System said, “Coming this far, I can’t just abandon you entirely; after all, I should at least see you through to the end.”
In reality, the System was reluctant to leave simply because of greed, as Nie Yang still had some imperial energy left; it couldn’t go to waste.
When Wei Ying and the others encountered the disheveled Nie Yang, their feelings were quite mixed.
Nie Qing crouched down and removed the cloth from Nie Yang’s mouth, coldly asking, “Why did you do this?”
Nie Yang didn’t struggle and was too lazy to defend himself, simply speaking the truth.
“Because of power.”
“When you poisoned my father… back then… did he obstruct your path? How could you be so heartless!”
Nie Qing’s fury ignited, gripping Nie Yang by the collar and lifting him up, his gaze turning fierce.
Nie Yang refused to meet his eyes, turning his head away, “It was always going to happen; it’s a matter of striking first.”
Nie Qing felt a wave of dizziness, his back teeth clenching tightly, on the verge of choking Nie Yang to death.
“The so-called brotherly love… was just for the sake of your schemes?”
“You treated me well; I’m grateful.” Nie Yang’s eyes darkened as he quietly said, “But what you gave me is merely a fraction of what you possess; what I desire is thousands of times more than what you have. I didn’t intend to harm you! But… you blocked my way. Nie Qing, ask yourself, does your character truly suit becoming a lord? Pure, weak, naive… the Nie Clan under your leadership would only head towards destruction. As a member of the Nie Clan, if you can hold this position, why can’t I?”
Everything Nie Liang had was given by the Nie Clan; it wasn’t something he built from scratch, and Nie Yang felt no guilt claiming it as his own.
“If you truly had the capability to protect the Nie Clan, couldn’t you just tell me? My father would sacrifice his life for the Nie Clan; I could also step back for the sake of the clan.” Nie Qing’s words silenced Nie Yang. “You foolishly consider yourself intelligent, yet you’re just a selfish schemer!”
