Chapter 21: The Rise of the Tianxia Guild (Part III)

The young Canglang asked in a daze,
"What should we do now? Could it be that Canglang's very first mission has failed before it even begins?"
"Uncle Ancestral King will surely have a way!"
With a hopeful gleam in his eyes, Canglang looked toward Jingri Guming.
"If Mijiang is facing such a perilous crisis right now, what would you do?"
Jingri Guming looked at the frightened Canglang and massaged his temples.
Indeed, he was just a little Cang-rabbit; how could this king bear to be harsh on him!
Canglang's mind raced at lightning speed:
"I know!"
"I shall immediately write a letter asking Uncle Qianxue to return, and then present the gravity of the situation to my father, urging him to dispatch reinforcements!"
Canglang finally thought of seeking aid, only...
Jingri Guming stared at him, leaving the young prince puzzled. Was this still not enough?
"To formulate a strategy, one must consider every single aspect and the changes each step will trigger!"
"Think about it, what kind of ripples will the resurgence of the Heaven Alliance cause? The enemy of my enemy is a friend!"
"Can all the various factions, big and small, in Mijiang endure the Heaven Alliance carving up their interests?"
"Huanzhu Tower deals in assassination and intelligence. Are you lacking money, or do you intend to send your own men to their deaths just to gather intel?"
Jingri Guming laid it out point by point, making cold sweat pour down Canglang's back. He realized just how many shortcomings he still had.
"Understood, Canglang knows what to do!"
With that, Canglang departed to draft a strategy against the Heaven Alliance.
King Beijing reclined once more, flipping through a book—the Nine Dragons Heavenly Book.
Unbeknownst to him, the ice pop in his hand had frozen solid, bringing Jingri Guming a touch of refreshing summer coolness.
"The Nine Dragons Heavenly Book! Every three hundred years, the Nine Dragons exhale their breath to form pearls. I wonder how much fortune I can attain after devouring their dragon pearls!"
……
At the Heaven Alliance's Number One Tower, the Wind and Cloud Dragon Emperor stood high on the upper levels with his hands clasped behind his back, followed closely by Xiong Da:
"Chief Steward Xiong, with the resurgence of the Heaven Alliance, what movements have there been in the martial arts world and the imperial court?"
"Alliance Master, the entire pugilistic world is dead silent, perhaps everyone is waiting for others to test the waters! As for the imperial court, not a single ripple has been stirred."
Xiong Da replied with a smile. Through years of managing the Heaven Alliance, his interpersonal skills had grown increasingly slick and tactful.
"Ha, they are all clever people, wishing to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. I wonder who will make the first move?"
The Wind and Cloud Dragon Emperor glanced in the direction of Huanzhu Tower. Ah Wen, you wish to avoid a direct clash and use the King of Mijiang to probe us—how could things go as you desire?
Over at Huanzhu Tower, Fengyue Wenhao, draped in blue robes, reclined on a chair. Supporting his head with one hand and holding a book in the other, he was deep in reading.

"Master, Prince Canglang has arrived at Huanzhu Tower."
Fengdie walked in to report.
"Oh my! Trouble has arrived! Fengdie, bring him in."
Fengdie went out and escorted Canglang into the tower.
"Greetings, Tower Master."
Canglang bowed to the masked figure (whose identity had not been revealed prior, using a jade pendant as proof).
"Prince Canglang, to what do we owe the honor of your visit to Huanzhu Tower today?"
With a client at the door, Wenhao had to rise to receive him.
"I have a business proposition I wish to discuss with the Tower Master, if it is convenient."
Canglang cast a glance at young Fengdie.
"Hmph!"
Naturally understanding the hint, Fengdie let out a cold snort and left.
"Canglang wishes to hire Huanzhu Tower to assassinate the Heaven Alliance's Alliance Master, the Wind and Cloud Dragon Emperor. I wonder if the Tower Master dares to accept this contract?"
Canglang gazed at the person before him, as if trying to pierce through the disguise to reveal the true identity of the master of Huanzhu Tower.
"Ah, what a clumsy tactic of reverse psychology! So young yet possessing such a mind—truly rare, truly rare!"
Wenhao fluttered his feathery fan while speaking words that contradicted his thoughts entirely.
Canglang remained silent, watching the figure before him as he awaited a response.
"To use a dragon as your title, and furthermore as the emperor among dragons—such immense arrogance makes it hard for anyone not to have second thoughts."
"If you want Huanzhu Tower to assassinate the Wind and Cloud Dragon Emperor, it is possible, provided you trade the life of the King of Mijiang for it!"
Unflurried and unhurried, the Tower Master did not refuse outright, yet posed an utterly impossible condition.
"Hmph! Lawless scoundrel!"
Canglang let out a cold huff, forcefully suppressing the anger rising in his chest:
"So Huanzhu Tower is nothing more than an empty reputation. Faced with a newly emerged power, Huanzhu Tower lacks even the courage to strike. It seems the future Number One Tower in the world and the finest assassination organization will belong to none other than the Heaven Alliance!"
*Not bad, not bad.* Wenhao mentally evaluated Canglang's performance: meticulous in action, attempting reverse psychology first; and though counter-provoked, he could still contain his anger and clearly articulate the stakes.
"Oh my, I truly hadn't thought of it! So the Heaven Alliance intends to snatch business right out of Huanzhu Tower's hands! In that case, this Tower Master is quite willing to probe them on the Prince's behalf. As for how many men or top experts to send, that will depend entirely on Prince Canglang's sincerity!"
The Tower Master concealed his eyes with the feathery fan, placing his other hand behind his back, tossing the ball back into Canglang's court.
"Hmph, Canglang will not disappoint the Tower Master!"
Canglang departed. The transaction was settled, and the rest would naturally be handled by their subordinates.
"Fengdie, what do you think of young Canglang? How would he do as your future husband?"
With time on his hands, the Tower Master amused himself by teasing Fengdie.

"Hmph! So young and yet so manipulative—truly worthy of being of royal blood!"
Fengdie stepped out from behind the screen.
"Are you truly going to test the Heaven Alliance?"
"Business has knocked on our doors; Huanzhu Tower cannot afford to turn it away."
The Tower Master reclined once more.
"You truly are unwilling? Ah, what a pity."
What a pity indeed. What was a pity?
Was it a pity to miss out on a son-in-law like Canglang, or was it a pity to lack an excuse to meddle in the struggle for royal power and contend with King Beijing?
After leaving Huanzhu Tower, Canglang proceeded to successively contact various other mountain strongholds and factions of all sizes.
The moment Canglang initiated his actions, the Heaven Alliance received the news.
"Alliance Master, Prince Canglang has made his move. First he visited Huanzhu Tower, and now he is touring the major mountain strongholds!"
Xiong Da reported the gathered intelligence.
"Hmm."
The Wind and Cloud Dragon Emperor nodded and looked toward the four Hall Masters of Wind, Cloud, Frost, and Lightning:
"Hall Master Frost is in charge of internal discipline and must not be mobilized without cause. As for the remaining Halls of Wind, Cloud, and Lightning, how to proceed should require no instruction from me!"
"Hall of Wind!"
"Hall of Cloud!"
"Hall of Lightning!"
"We obey!" chanted all three in unison.
Following the resurgence of the Heaven Alliance, the tranquil pugilistic world was suddenly pierced like a calm lake receiving a stone, sending wave after wave of ripples.
While Canglang united the various factions, the Halls of Wind, Cloud, and Lightning initiated intelligence gathering, interception, assassinations, and counter-assassinations.
As for the targets of assassination, they were naturally those factions that had agreed to ally with Canglang.
While the Heaven Alliance moved, Huanzhu Tower naturally swung into action as well.
The forces of both sides engaged in wave after wave of bloody assassinations and counter-assassinations.
Some factions that outwardly pledged allegiance to Canglang had actually long been secretly subdued by the Heaven Alliance; their so-called ambushes were merely for show.
Meanwhile, Huanzhu Tower's assassins attempted to strike Heaven Alliance killers who had just completed their missions, hoping to catch them when their killing intent had faded and physical strength was depleted, unaware that this had all been carefully orchestrated as a trap laid for them by the Heaven Alliance.
Killing and being killed were unfolding amidst a sea of blood.
Hidden in the shadows, Cang Jingren, Yao Mingyue, and Hemeng Tianye were also closely watching this fierce contest.