I am the Ruler of the Kingdom of Mysterious-Chapter 360 - 324: The Devious Plan
He Buning did not answer, but the inclination in his heart was very obvious.
Sang Que remained emotionally stable, "I have a foster mother. When I was young, I broke a piece of porcelain. She never scolded me. She would first come over to check if I was hurt, then together we would pick up the fragments to see if they could be repaired. If they could, she would guide me to repair them; if not, we would throw them away and go out to buy a new one to place there."
"She told me that once a problem arises, it is useless to assign blame or scold me. These actions cannot make the broken porcelain restore itself. The most important thing is to calmly handle the current situation to avoid getting cut by the shards in my panic, and then find a way to repair the porcelain or buy a new one."
He Buning gradually calmed down and picked up the water Sang Que poured for him to drink.
Sitting down, Sang Que continued, "When I came here, the problem already existed. You can’t say that everything is my doing just because I appeared, nor can you kill me to eliminate future troubles when I haven’t done anything yet. That would be unfair to me."
He Buning put down the tea cup, frowning wordlessly.
"I was also forced into this. No one asked for my consent, but since the situation has occurred, I won’t escape. I choose to face the problem head-on and do my utmost to solve it. You see us as mortal enemies, but in my view, we are allies with the same goal."
He Buning looked at Sang Que; her eyes were bright, and everything she said came from the heart, without any falsehood.
"Why must we fight to the death over who is responsible when we could instead sit down and find a way to end all ghosts in the world?"
"How do you plan to end it all?" He Buning asked.
Sang Que spoke directly, "I might do as the Prime Minister does, using a living person’s body to control evil ghosts and walk the path of ghosts and gods."
He Buning’s eyes widened, never expecting that Sang Que would even know about this.
"You kept asking me what I planned to do next. Actually, this time I came to find you for three reasons: first, to let you know I am safe; second, to help the Ghost Vendor find some things; and third, to ask where the Yin Child’s tongue and heart are. If I can find these two things, I can return the Yin Child to the Sixth Level, and I can soon advance to the Sixth Level myself."
He Buning remained silent, and Sang Que did not rush.
"I will stay here for a while, at least until I’ve found the things the Ghost Vendor wants. If you’re willing to tell me the exact location of the tongue and heart, I’ll be immensely grateful. If you’re not willing, I understand, as you are the Night Travel Captain of the Da Xuan Evil Suppression Bureau and have your duties."
Sang Que got up to leave. Some things can’t be understood and accepted all at once. He Buning grew up beside the Prime Minister, and his thinking must be similar. It’s already rare that he was willing to let her return to the present day.
Leaving the building, Sang Que saw Xiao Liu standing upright, holding a knife opposite the room where they just had their conversation, eyes fixed on the room.
In the past, at this moment, Xiao Liu would certainly be napping under some pillar.
This time, not seeing Xiao Wu, Sang Que already knew that Xiao Wu must have died during the ghost disaster in Wangshan City.
"Sixth Brother, if there are any areas in the city where I can help, please let me know as soon as possible. I will stay a while longer."
Xiao Liu nodded, "If anything comes up, the Colonel will inform you."
Sang Que nodded, left the county government, and asked for directions to the Wounded Soldier Camp to find Qiao Ling and Xia Chan.
In the following days, Sang Que changed outfits, no longer carrying a long bow, using a mole and mask for dual protection, disguised as an ordinary guard, staying beside Qiao Ling and Xia Chan, following them around the city to help treat people.
The Evil Suppression Bureau mask Sang Que previously kept was an incense burner, which Sang Que had always preserved and handed over to Xiao Liu to give to He Buning.
Xiao Liu and Qin Ze were quite disappointed, thinking they could fight side by side in the future.
Occasionally, running into He Buning on the street, Sang Que just nodded in greeting without speaking.
Sang Que didn’t interact with Skinny, He Baosheng, or their family anymore. With three forces watching her, she’d only bring trouble to others, who were living well now.
Of course, that’s provided Dongyang County is not overrun.
During this period, defenses within Dongyang County were very tight, personally supervised by the defense leader Nan Zhongyun and He Buning. Two Daoists and Qin Ze, the Yin Walker, were in charge of patrolling the city. If Gu worms invaded or unnatural evil spirits appeared, alarms would sound immediately.
That day, Qin Ze suddenly came to find Sang Que, saying that He Buning called her to the county government.
When Sang Que arrived, all the city’s leaders, the two Daoists, were present, gathered around the sand table in the county government’s council hall, which marked the surrounding terrain of Dongyang County. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺
After Sang Que entered, He Buning looked at her, nodded, and continued, "In the past few days, there have been three waves of scouts from the Qianshou Army. They are very likely to gather all their forces soon to attack Dongyang County. We currently have abundant supplies, and defending without going out, we can hold on until reinforcements arrive. But I think this is a great opportunity to retake Tangyuan County."
He Buning’s strategy was simple: the Qianshou Army is currently short of food. To persist, attacking Dongyang County is their only option. Otherwise, they would have to retreat.
Retreating damages morale, so the Qianshou Army wouldn’t do it. They are likely to concentrate all their forces, make a desperate attempt, and attack Dongyang County.
Although Dongyang County faces great pressure, it has the city, food supplies, and Qiao Ling in the city. Plus, the two Daoists can block the Gu Masters and the Ghost Witch from the Qianshou Army.
At that time, the Qianshou Army’s rear will be empty. If we can break through Tangyuan County during this time, it would severely impact the Qianshou Army’s morale and relieve Dongyang County.
If the Qianshou Army retreats because of this, the defending army in Dongyang County can seize the opportunity to go out of the city and annihilate them.
The garrisoned troops in Qinzhou have been losing this entire period; they urgently need a victory to boost morale.
This idea was originally just in He Buning’s mind, not feasible due to the elite forces of the Ghost Opera Troupe defending Tangyuan County.
The Night Travelers in Qinzhou are limited to six and a half squads, scattered in every city. He Buning could only use Qin Ze, and he himself could not leave Dongyang County. If something went wrong on this side, the gains wouldn’t outweigh the losses.
Sang Que’s appearance made He Buning see an opportunity. He Buning wanted to seize this chance and take a risk.
He Buning solicited Sang Que’s opinion. If she was willing to go, then they would wait for the major attack from the Qianshou Army, and let Sang Que lead two thousand people around to counterattack Tangyuan County.
If Sang Que was unwilling, then the plan would be discarded, and they would continue fortifying Dongyang County until reinforcements arrived.
He Buning’s idea slightly excited Sang Que. She considered the risk and difficulty, finding them acceptable, and readily agreed.
After the meeting, He Buning asked Sang Que to stay back.
"On this raid to Tangyuan County, I want to ask you to do one more thing for me."
"What is it?"
"I want you to be publicly captured by the Ghost Opera Troupe!"
Sang Que was stunned, then reacted, "You want the Yin Child to be taken by the Ghost Opera Troupe?"
The alliance between Yunzhou and the Qianshou Army is to reclaim the Five Spirits Saintess and the Gu Master. If the Five Spirits Saintess is captured by the Ghost Opera Troupe behind the Qianshou Army, what would Yunzhou think?
"Your plan is really vicious!" Sang Que couldn’t help but laugh.
He Buning’s chin lifted slightly, "Not bad."
As their eyes met, He Buning sighed, "I have thought carefully about what you said that day. I think you made a compelling point. When the sandpiper and the clam fight, the fisherman catches both. Just like the current chaos, Da Xuan and the rebels fighting to the death ultimately benefit those ghosts. The dispute between us is the same. To end this chaotic world, I am willing to trust you this time."
