劍問蒼天 - 第146章 毒計 - 翰墨軒

Cang Song fixed his eyes on Mingwang and said, "The Poison God died three days ago. He left a final command, passing the position of sect master to his youngest disciple, Qin Wujiu."

Mingwang gradually steadied himself, but his brows remained deeply knit; his face was calm, yet within him it was as though a thousand troops and ten thousand horses came surging at once, a turmoil of thoughts churning without cease.

Of the three great factions of the demon cult that now stood in opposition, the one he feared most was this old poison, grown cunning as a spirit—the old monster of the Wandu Sect. While he lived, the Mingwang Sect had scarcely any chance of dragging the Wandu Sect down from its place as the cult's foremost faction. But now this old poison, who had once seemed as though he would never die, had passed away thus, without a sound!

Mingwang drew a deep breath, brought his gaze back to Cangyan Daoren's face, and suddenly smiled. "The revered elder Poison God was a man of great virtue and prestige in our Holy Cult; his unfortunate passing is truly cause for grief." The words of mourning left his lips, but where in his smile was there the slightest trace of grief?

And Cangyan Daoren, standing across from him, wore a face equally indifferent; plainly neither of these two harbored any fond remembrance of the dead old man.

"However," Mingwang seemed to show a measure of caution, "before I came, how was it that I heard nothing of this news at all? These past three days the Wandu Sect has been quite calm, yet not a whisper has leaked out."

Cangyan Daoren smiled, with a faint note of contempt: "After the old man died, he passed the command to Qin Wujiu to take up the sect master's seat. But the other disciples who rushed back to attend his death refused to let the matter rest—they have quarreled endlessly over the succession and have kept the old man's death under wraps for the time being. As of now, apart from a few presiding elders, myself included, most of the Wandu Sect's disciples still know nothing of it."

What sort of man was Mingwang? He understood at once; a trace of a smile surfaced at the corner of his mouth. After a moment's thought he said to Cangyan Daoren, "This is no small matter, and that you should confide it to me shows the depth of your regard. I am deeply grateful."

Cangyan Daoren smiled and said, "I would not presume."

Mingwang's eyes flickered. "Has the Daoist anything else to say? Speak freely, there is no harm."

Cangyan Daoren gave a cold snort. "The Sect Master is a leader of great talent and grand strategy, so I shall not beat about the bush. The Wandu Sect is now no place for Cang Song to remain. I beg the Sect Master to remember our acquaintance of former years and take me in."

Mingwang said in astonishment, "What is the Daoist saying? A man such as you, I could only wish for—I have long admired you these many years. It was only that you have always held high station in the Wandu Sect and that we are of the same Holy Cult that I dared not presume to invite you. Can it be that since the revered Poison God's death, something has changed?"

Cangyan Daoren nodded. "The Sect Master has a keen eye. The Poison God indeed treated me well, but that Qin Wujiu and I have never been on good terms. Moreover, with the Wandu Sect now contending for the seat, every expert in the sect has entrenched himself upon his own hill, each facing off against the others. In my judgment, even if someone should unify the poison sect and secure the position, it will surely have suffered grievous losses to its vitality—it will not be able to contend with anyone for a long while yet."