Grand Marshal’s Residence, Capital of the Nation.

Wen Lianmu no longer toyed with the chess pieces, sitting cross-legged before the board, his gaze fixed on the world outside the window.

He was loath to admit it, but the outcome of his game was sealed. Yet, he had no choice but to face it.

Drawing back his gaze, he saw Wang Yi’wu, his opponent, still immersed in cultivation. Beneath the calm surface roiled a torrent of martial aura and bloodlust, a sight that had prompted Wen Lianmu to sigh more than once.

In terms of innate talent for cultivation, Wang Yi’wu was indeed the most terrifying individual he had ever encountered. Furthermore, his self-discipline and relentless effort were monstrous. He never rested on his laurels, always striving for greater strength.

At times, Wen Lianmu couldn’t help but admire him. He knew full well how seriously Wang Yi’wu regarded the task entrusted to him by Chong Xuansun. Just dragging him away from the military had cost an untold number of favors.

Yet, even as the situation deteriorated so drastically that even Wen Lianmu was consumed by anxiety, Wang Yi’wu remained steadfast, completing his daily cultivation without fail.

Looking down at the white dragon of pieces about to be devoured on the board, he felt a sudden urge to sweep it all away. But his intelligence made it clear that such an action would be utterly pointless.

How had this game reached such a dire state?

Initially, he had used a “false rumor” to lure Jiang Wang away, “clipping” Chong Xuansheng’s wing before launching an all-out offensive.

Jiang Wang was not only Chong Xuansheng’s most trusted confidant, but his formidable strength and considerable reputation allowed him to handle many matters that Chong Xuansheng found difficult to manage.

With Jiang Wang gone, Chong Xuansheng was hard-pressed to find anyone capable and trustworthy enough to take his place. Shi Si’s background precluded him from leading the charge, and he wasn’t suited for such tasks anyway. Chong Xuan Chuliang, a cousin to both Chong Xuansheng and Chong Xuansun, was too closely related to intervene directly.

In the initial days after Jiang Wang’s departure, Chong Xuansheng struggled to cope, barely managing to hold the line.

Just when the situation seemed overwhelmingly favorable, the Jùbǎo Conglomerate suddenly collapsed.

Overnight, hundreds of shops closed, and countless assets were divided and sold off.

Wen Lianmu had long anticipated the Conglomerate’s downfall and had even covertly accelerated its demise. As an “ally,” he could logically seize the fattest cuts during its disintegration. Having been invited to manage the business left behind by Chong Xuansun, he wasn’t content with simply defeating Chong Xuansheng. He sought to expand that power to demonstrate his own abilities and to amass sufficient capital for his venture in Linzi.

However, the Conglomerate’s collapse was far too sudden, occurring much earlier than anyone had predicted.

When a mountain crumbles, chain reactions are inevitable. The Jùbǎo Conglomerate fell too quickly, impacting its nominal ally, the forces associated with Chong Xuansun, now represented by Wang Yi’wu. Their ranks were thrown into disarray.

Wen Lianmu, with his extraordinary skills, stabilized the situation at once. But he had never expected Su She to make such a “foolish” decision.

Su She actually abandoned resistance to external forces and turned against Wen Lianmu and Wang Yi’wu, severing many collaborations with Chong Xuansun and inflicting mutually destructive breaches of contract. Such a display of emotional impulsiveness!

As an undeniably intelligent individual, Su She should have had a broader perspective. He should have done everything to unite his allies and struggle for survival. How could he immediately turn against them just because they had taken a bite or two of the spoils? Even if he was losing his mind, he should have prioritized his targets and bitten Chong Xuansheng first!

Wen Lianmu was adept at manipulating people’s hearts, and he had consciously pushed Su She in that direction.

But Su She had apparently been driven mad, broken. His “foolish” choices continued to shock him.

After stabbing his allies in the back, leaving Wen Lianmu and Wang Yi’wu scrambling, Su She had abandoned all efforts to save the Jùbǎo Conglomerate. He then recklessly went to ambush Jiang Wang outside Linzi, attempting to assassinate him in a rash act of violence!

Despite this, Wen Lianmu still did his best to “cooperate.” He immediately had Wang Yi’wu activate Chong Xuansun’s contingency plans, using Chong Xuansun’s influence within the Chong Xuan family to prevent Chong Xuansheng from mobilizing divine-level forces.

He forced Chong Xuansheng to bleed out while dealing with Su She’s madness. Either only Jiang Wang would die, or many more would perish.

That Jiang Wang managed to survive in such a situation, and even counter-kill Su She, was also beyond his expectations.

Su She’s strength was probably not as great as imagined.

So be it. It was nothing more than a fresh round of offense and defense. Wen Lianmu was never afraid of confrontation.

But the sudden assassination attempt launched by the Hell Gate in Linzi, and the sudden involvement of Chong Xuansun’s men in the remnants of the Yang Court’s quest for revenge, caught him completely off guard.

What was it called when it rains, it pours!

And this matter just happened to fall under the jurisdiction of the Northern Garrison.

With the Zheng Shangming incident still fresh in memory, the Northern Garrison Commandant Zheng Shi didn’t give the Grand Marshal’s Residence any face at all. He wouldn’t even personally frame them, let alone clear their name. Now, with a direct imperial decree, he was in a mood to pursue the matter relentlessly.

What made matters even more difficult was that this was ultimately Chong Xuansun’s affair. Although he had entrusted it to Wang Yi’wu, Wang Yi’wu had no way to mobilize the forces of the Grand Marshal’s Residence to support them, and neither did Wen Lianmu have any reason to mobilize the military.

Officially, Chong Xuansun’s forces could only rely on the connections he had left behind.

In the end, Chong Xuansun’s confinement in Jixia Academy was equivalent to them tying one of their own arms behind their back, forcing them to fight Chong Xuansheng with only one hand. No wonder they said that Chong Xuansheng’s move was a stroke of genius!

Because of this inherent disadvantage, Wen Lianmu, after being invited by Wang Yi’wu, chose to launch a relentless offensive at once, seeking to overwhelm Chong Xuansheng with a storm of attacks, leaving him no time to care for himself. He used offense to protect his weaknesses.

But Chong Xuansheng had persevered, seeing through his traps several times. He was forced to use open strategies to lure Jiang Wang away, and then confront him with brute force—a choice that he had carefully considered and concluded offered the greatest chance of victory.

Yet, even that had failed.

To the point that today, he could declare failure.

Because of the Yang Court remnant matter, the Chong Xuan family had also abandoned their support for Chong Xuansun’s forces, withdrawing a large number of family businesses.

Only a few businesses that belonged solely to Chong Xuansun were still barely surviving.

Faced with Chong Xuansheng’s anticipated, fierce offensive, Wen Lianmu found it hard to confidently say that he could hold out.

Chess games always have winners and losers.

Wen Lianmu consoled himself.

“What are you thinking about?” Wang Yi’wu asked, having ended his cultivation at some point.

“What else could I be thinking about?” Wen Lianmu said with a wry smile. “I was wondering how Chong Xuansun’s men got involved with the Yang Court remnants. Did he try to hinder Chong Xuan Chuliang’s campaign against the Yang back then? And why act now, of all times? I was thinking that Chong Xuansun was supposed to be the most dazzling figure of his generation. Why would the Chong Xuan family give up on him so easily? I’ve been thinking about so many things that I’m starting to lose track.”

Wang Yi’wu was silent for a moment. “A’Zun has nothing to do with the Yang Court remnants. Before the Qi-Yang War, he didn’t think that fatty could really be a threat to him. As for ‘giving up,’ with his talent, the Chong Xuan family would have to be fools to give up on him. It’s just those old geezers taking the opportunity to give him a self-righteous lesson.”

“If you can confirm that Chong Xuansun is not involved, then by deduction, this matter must be a fabrication by Chong Xuansheng. But he did it perfectly. I can’t find any leads in a short time, and the Northern Garrison is certainly not going to cooperate with us… As things stand, the only way is for Chong Xuansun to come out and find a way to prove his innocence.”

At this point, Wen Lianmu shook his head bitterly. “Listen to the nonsense I’m spouting. I’ve really lost my mind.”

To get Chong Xuansun into the Jixia Academy, Chong Xuansheng had almost gambled away the gains of the entire Qi-Yang War.

If Chong Xuansun could easily come out, he wouldn’t be sitting here trying to find a solution.

Wang Yi’wu didn’t seem to show any signs of frustration. He asked, “Is there no good news at all?”

“Only worse…” Wen Lianmu said wearily. “Not only is Chong Xuansheng attacking those businesses, but the Da Ze Tian family has also gone crazy and gotten involved.”

“Didn’t you give Tian Huanzhang the benefits you promised? Or is he being greedy?”

“Neither,” Wen Lianmu replied, shaking his head with a touch of bitterness. “Do you think I’m trying to take all the benefits and do everything to the extreme? Angering Zheng Shi and offending Bao Zhongqing were all choices made after careful consideration. Although they failed, they were within acceptable limits. As for attacking the Jùbǎo Conglomerate, I wanted to get more capital and more resource advantages to suppress Chong Xuansheng. Su She’s sudden madness… did catch me off guard. In this situation, how could I ‘use’ Tian Huanzhang for free?”

He sighed. “It’s Tian Anping. No one knows what he’s gone mad about. Perhaps simply because we contacted Tian Huanzhang?”

Regarding Tian Anping, the notorious “madman,” Wang Yi’wu didn’t know what to say.

“In any case, this is where we’ve arrived,” Wen Lianmu said.

“What can I say?” Wang Yi’wu spread his hands. “A’Zun trusted me, but I’ve made such a mess of things.”

He tapped his chest. “It doesn’t feel good here.”

“Sorry,” Wen Lianmu said. “I made a lot of mistakes.”

In fact, they were all mistakes left behind by the eagerness to attack, naturally appearing after the offensive was defused. But Wen Lianmu would never use that to console himself.

Wang Yi’wu waved his hand, stopping him from continuing to blame himself. “I asked you to help, so I have to bear this much.”

“Then,” he asked again, “is there really no way out?”

“Perhaps…” Wen Lianmu said. “You can consult the military strategist Chen. Or maybe, find the old man, the God of War.”

The military strategist Chen he was referring to was Chen Zeqing, the eldest disciple of Jiang Mengxiong. Jiang Mengxiong was the God of War of the Great Qi, and people called Chen Zeqing the inheritor of his strategies, and Wang Yi’wu the inheritor of his martial prowess.

Wang Yi’wu shook his head. “It concerns A’Zun, so Master won’t help me. As for Senior Brother Chen… he is a talent for planning national affairs. His strategies aren’t used for such matters.”

Even though he was very frustrated, Wen Lianmu couldn’t help but roll his eyes weakly. “So my strategies are only fit for these kinds of things, huh?”

But he wasn’t in the mood to argue after all. He just grabbed a handful of chess pieces and threw them onto the board.

Wang Yi’wu then understood that it was time for the game to end.