Chapter 644: One Stick, Two Plates of Shit

“Jiang Dianzhu?”

Baiyi Wangzuo was taken aback for a moment.

Jiang Bianyan, the hall master of the Shengshen Diantang branch in Dongtian Wangcheng, was a figure of immense status. Although they both held the Wangzuo cultivation level, his position was unimaginably higher than his own.

This young man from a prominent family knew Jiang Dianzhu?

Just how elevated was his background?

With that single address, Baiyi Wangzuo grew more cautious.

Though he hadn’t yet verified the truth of the young man’s words, it was better to err on the side of caution at this critical juncture and avoid any mistakes.

“Little brother, if you know Jiang Dianzhu, then do you realize that he’s now a thing of the past?”

“A thing of the past?”

Xu Xiaoshou looked utterly confused.

“Yes.”

Baiyi Wangzuo nodded. “In the battle at Baiku in Tiansang County, Jiang Dianzhu led a group of Baiyi to assist, and he died gloriously in combat, earning extraordinary merits… The position of hall master at the Shengshen Diantang branch in Dongtian Wangcheng has already changed hands.”

Xu Xiaoshou hadn’t expected that at all.

Jiang Bianyan had gone to Baiku?

He only knew that Bazun An had used the Yishi Heart Sword technique to slay over seven hundred Baiyi there, regardless of distance.

But he never imagined that Jiang Bianyan had also been killed!

“So, who’s in charge in Dongtian Wangcheng now?”

“Cheng Ji, the new Cheng Dianzhu.”

Baiyi Wangzuo stared intently at the young man in front of him, trying to discern something from his eyes.

But Xu Xiaoshou’s disguise was too good to see through.

All he noticed was a hint of mild regret, without even a trace of surprise.

Clearly, the death of someone at Jiang Dianzhu’s level hadn’t stirred the slightest ripple in this young man’s heart.

This Xu fellow was no simple character!

“Received reverence, passive value, 1.”

“Cheng Ji… I don’t actually know him.”

Xu Xiaoshou furrowed his brow slightly, as if something had just occurred to him. “Cheng?”

“Yes.”

“The Cheng family’s influence? Do you know someone named Cheng…”

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly paused, seemingly because time had blurred the memory of such a minor figure, but after thinking for a while, he finally recalled the name. “Cheng Xingchu?”

Baiyi Wangzuo was surprised. “Little brother, you know Young Master Cheng?”

“Not really…”

Seeing the other’s expression, Xu Xiaoshou knew things were going smoothly, and he replied indifferently, “It’s just that the Cheng family came to celebrate my family elder’s birthday before, and I met him once.”

“Celebrate a birthday?”

“Received surprise, passive value, 1.”

From that tone, Baiyi Wangzuo could tell that even Young Master Cheng Xingchu’s status was likely far beneath this young man’s.

He didn’t dare probe further into the man’s identity and only asked, “Does the young master have any token to prove your background?”

The use of “you” made Xu Xiaoshou feel even more at ease.

But unfortunately, Xin Gugu had latched onto a point to act arrogantly.

“A token?!”

His voice rose sharply. “I’ve said so much, and that’s not enough to prove my identity? What are you even doing? If you can’t handle this, go get that Cheng Dianzhu for our young master!”

Baiyi Wangzuo’s brow furrowed.

Xu Xiaoshou was startled by his own outburst.

Realizing the situation was turning sour, he quickly pressed down on Xin Gugu’s shoulder and said, “My subordinate is being disrespectful—please don’t take offense.”

After glaring at Xin Gugu to back him off, Xu Xiaoshou turned to Baiyi Wangzuo.

“I won’t make things difficult for you. Just go ahead and register us.”

With that, he flicked his sleeve and lifted his chin, exuding an inexplicable aura of authority.

“Beiyu, Tai Xiang Xu family!”

Those few words made everyone’s hearts tremble, and their heads involuntarily lowered slightly.

Even the long line waiting behind them felt a sudden weight.

It was as if the name “Tai Xiang Xu family” demanded the world’s submission, leaving no one its equal.

Baiyi Wangzuo was stunned by this sudden display of presence.

Without a doubt, anyone who could command such respect with just a name must come from at least a Taixu family.

—As expected, this matched his earlier guess!

“Beiyu?”

Whispers erupted from the line behind.

“Beiyu, the domain of the war god—I’m seeing someone from Beiyu for the first time. This Xu family—what’s their background? Has anyone heard of them?”

“No… But that aura just now was incredible. It must be at least a Zhandao family. Did you feel that heart palpitation? When ‘Tai Xiang Xu family’ was mentioned, it felt like some immense force was suppressing me.”

“Damn, good thing my knees are strong—I almost knelt. This Xu family, this young Xu, they’re impressive!”

“Indeed, Dongtian Wangcheng is about to be in turmoil…”

“Received fear, passive value, 75.”

“Received admiration, passive value, 38.”

“Received affection, passive value, 6.”

The Baiyi guards also caught the murmurs from behind. After recording the information on the jade slip, they asked again, “Beiyu, Tai Xiang Xu family—what’s the name?”

Before Xu Xiaoshou could respond, Baiyi Wangzuo smacked the recorder on the head and whispered, “Xu young master!”

“Oh, oh.”

The guard with the jade slip quickly caught on.

Clearly, for someone of this stature, providing so much information was already cooperative.

“Tai Xiang Xu family…”

Baiyi Wangzuo pondered, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

But no matter how he thought, he drew a blank.

In his memory, forget about Xu family or Tai Xiang—he wasn’t even clear on how many forces were in Beiyu.

This confusion wasn’t just his; even the three companions with Xu Xiaoshou were full of unspoken bewilderment.

Still, it had to be said that Xu Xiaoshou’s wording was clever.

If he had just said “Xu family,” they might have kept questioning.

But adding the prefixes “Beiyu” and “Tai Xiang,” combined with that overwhelming pressure, instantly imprinted the image of a major power in everyone’s minds.

What was Tai Xiang? Xu Xiaoshou didn’t know.

But he understood the difference between announcing “Zhao Zilong” and “Changshan Zhao Zilong”—the latter carried far more gravitas.

These were just little tricks.

Before the Baiyi guards could inquire further, Xu Xiaoshou waved his hand to his three companions behind him. “You all go in first. I have a question for this brother.”

His gaze swept over and landed on Baiyi Wangzuo.

In one smooth move, he turned the tables, leaving the guards momentarily speechless.

The one with the jade slip was still hesitating whether to ask for the other three’s names, but Baiyi Wangzuo waved his hand dismissively.

“Let them in!”

Special people deserved special treatment.

This group was from Beiyu, so they were either here for serious business or for the Dongtian Wangcheng trials.

Given that even the arrogant subordinate had Wangzuo-level cultivation, these were forces the city gate guards couldn’t afford to offend.

As long as their requests weren’t excessive, it was best to accommodate them.

“May I have a word in private?”

Xu Xiaoshou watched as his three companions entered the city smoothly, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.

He couldn’t register his real identity, nor could he leave too many traces of their previous identities.

So, he had to take a forceful approach, letting the image of them as an arrogant group take root first in these guards’ minds.

He was here to stir things up in Dongtian Wangcheng.

Once the subsequent events escalated, everyone would start investigating his identity.

If their earlier background was hard to trace, the starting point for the investigation would only be these city gate guards.

How the guards described and portrayed them would be crucial then.

Though it was just entering the city, Xu Xiaoshou was playing a long game, laying the groundwork from the start.

When it all exploded, confusion would reign, and truth would blur with fiction.

That way, he could navigate the chaos more easily.

These tactics were all learned from the big players at Baiku who had schemed for centuries.

“Please.”

The Baiyi guard led Xu Xiaoshou to the side of the city gate, where they wouldn’t block others, and then asked, “May I ask what advice Xu brother has?”

“Received respect, passive value, 1.”

Xu brother… Xu Xiaoshou was even more pleased.

“Advice is too strong a word. How should I address you, brother?”

“Wang Chao.”

“Wang Chao—as in the dynasty’s grand achievements, what a fine name!”

After the compliment, Xu Xiaoshou’s expression turned serious, getting straight to the point: “Brother Wang Chao, when I passed through other cities before, the registration process wasn’t this complicated. Now…”

He drew out his words without spelling it out, his eyes full of inquiry.

Wang Chao could see exactly what the other wanted to ask and sighed. “The increased workload isn’t our idea—it’s orders from above.”

“Xu brother, coming from Beiyu, you might not know about the many major events that have happened in Dongtian Realm lately.”

“The Shengshen Diantang’s encirclement of Baiku, the appearances of the Shengnu and the Xiyue Gray Palace…”

“These, you can ask around once you’re inside the city, and you’ll find out.”

“I have a rough idea… There are the Four Swords, after all!”

Xu Xiaoshou narrowed his eyes with a smile.

Wang Chao thought to himself, You don’t know a thing.

The Four Swords were already insignificant compared to the other forces at play.

But he didn’t dare show his inner sarcasm and just explained, “The Four Swords are only a minor factor. The real issue is the appearance of the Shengnu—it’s had a huge impact.”

“The main focus of the strict checks right now is to guard against Shengnu and Gui Shou.”

“Oh?” Xu Xiaoshou feigned surprise. “With just your people, you can screen for Shengnu and Gui Shou?”

Wang Chao: “…”

As expected of an arrogant young master from a prominent family—his words were completely thoughtless and disrespectful.

“Received curse, passive value, 1.”

He didn’t dwell on the tone and continued, “Of course, we alone can’t handle it, but…”

Wang Chao paused, and Xu Xiaoshou immediately understood.

“There are others watching?”

He looked up at the sky, seeing nothing.

But he knew that at the city gate, there were likely Zhandao-level Baiyi or Hongyi keeping an eye out.

His earlier actions had probably caught their attention.

Yet, since those higher-ups hadn’t shown themselves, it meant his performance was passing muster.

After that initial impression, any further investigations by the Baiyi or Hongyi would be much more difficult.

Perfect—that was exactly the effect he wanted!

Wang Chao didn’t respond, so Xu Xiaoshou took it as confirmation and smiled as he asked, “I’m not really concerned about Shengnu or Gui Shou. I’m here mainly to ask about the trials in Dongtian Wangcheng.”

As expected… Wang Chao realized instantly.

Though he couldn’t see the young man’s cultivation level, there were no signs of Tian Dao fluctuations around him, so he must not have reached the Zongshi realm yet.

For someone at the Xiantian level to travel millions of miles from Beiyu to Dongyu, the only goal could be the trials.

“Due to influences from various forces, the Dongtian Wangcheng trials have been moved up.”

“How much earlier?”

Xu Xiaoshou vaguely remembered that, under normal circumstances, the Wangcheng trials were still about one or two months away.

“Within half a month,” Wang Chao said, dropping a bombshell.

Xu Xiaoshou was surprised.

“Half a month?”

“Yes.”

Getting that confirmation, he fell silent.

Logically, advancing the trials should be good news.

But linking it to the Baiku incident and using it to deceive others might work, though it wouldn’t fool him!

“The Wangcheng trials are tied to Shenggong qualifications and are held simultaneously across the five domains of the continent. They couldn’t possibly be affected by something as minor as Baiku.”

Xu Xiaoshou smiled slyly. “There must be other reasons!”

“Received admiration, passive value, 1.”

A flicker of surprise crossed Wang Chao’s eyes.

He had thought this was just a foolish playboy relying on his family’s power and a Wangzuo subordinate to act superior.

He hadn’t expected the guy to have some cleverness.

“Xu brother, these matters involve secrets, so I’m afraid I can’t disclose them.” He shook his head firmly.

Xu Xiaoshou didn’t mind. “I get it. I’m not here to give you a hard time… How about this? I have a few more questions—you don’t need to answer in detail, just tell me yes or no, and I’ll be done.”

Wang Chao hesitated.

Was this guy trying to read answers from his expressions?

“No, I’m sorry, I can’t answer that!”

“Then for this one…”

Xu Xiaoshou frowned, and the previously light conversation suddenly grew heavy.

Wang Chao felt an inexplicable pressure and tensed up.

This pressure…

Could it be that the Wangzuo subordinate was just the visible protector, and this Xu young master had a Zhandao expert guarding him in secret?

After a long, tense silence to build psychological pressure, Xu Xiaoshou said with a hint of dissatisfaction, “You can at least respond with ‘no,’ right?”

What kind of response was that… Wang Chao was baffled and didn’t know how to refuse.

Xu Xiaoshou didn’t give him time to think and pressed on:

“From what I know, even if Shengnu entered the city, they wouldn’t send just Xiantian-level people. If it were only Xiantian, they’d be irrelevant in the trials anyway.”

“They’d only send someone at the Shengnu Shizuo level.”

“And the ones you’re guarding against—are those it?”

Wang Chao kept his face expressionless, determined not to let anything slip.

“No,” he said with firm resolve.

“Received deception, passive value, 1.”

Xu Xiaoshou got it.

The Shengnu had called him here to stir the pot, and there was a reason for it.

Bazun An’s original intent wasn’t for him to win the trials.

Besides the trials, there was another scheme in Dongtian Wangcheng—a hidden plot beneath the surface.

One that required advancing the trials across the five domains to cover it up and deploying Zhandao-level or even stronger experts to prevent disasters.

What could it be?

Xu Xiaoshou quickly connected it to Bazun An’s mysterious actions after going to Baiku.

As Wang Chao had said, “the Four Swords” had become a mere distraction to draw attention amid the other forces’ maneuvers.

The real priority was hidden deeper.

Am I supposed to stir two pots of shit with one stick?

Xu Xiaoshou was speechless. He knew there was a trap, and sure enough, asking about it revealed it!

“As expected…”

He was about to say more, but Xu Xiaoshou suddenly stopped.

Pushing further might make it hard to back out.

After all, there were real big shots watching from above.

“That’s all for now. Thanks, Brother Wang Chao.”

He patted the Baiyi Wangzuo on the shoulder, glanced up at the unseen figures in the sky, nodded slightly, and strode into the city.

He didn’t know who was watching from above, and he couldn’t see them.

But that didn’t matter.

What mattered was that they could see him!

“Indeed, he can see them…”

Wang Chao watched the retreating figure, his heart filled with shock.

A mere Xiantian cultivator—if not for a Zhandao protector, how could he spot the Baiyi and Hongyi seniors up there?

“Tai Xiang Xu family…”

Wang Chao murmured absentmindedly.

“Received fear, passive value, 1.”

“Received scrutiny, passive value, 2.”

“Received speculation, passive value, 2.”