Reasonable Conjecture Among the Folk

After withdrawing three hundred li, Wang Hao did not remain at Yellow Springs Ferry.

He knew that today’s battle would not be decided at once.

The outbreak of the contamination had forced both sides to temporarily pull back.

But hatred had already taken root.

Meng Que had been assassinated.

The remnant soul of the Blood Lotus Martial God had “confessed.”

A Transcendent from the Holy Lands had ambushed Wang Hao.

The disciples of Yellow Springs Ferry had suffered heavy casualties.

Several demonic sect positions had been overrun by the Holy Lands.

The Holy Lands had also lost quite a few Martial Gods.

These were all real wounds.

As long as someone sprinkled salt into them every day, they would never heal.

And when it came to sprinkling salt…

Wang Hao was very good at it.

Three days later.

On the edge of the Land of Sin, inside a cavern dwelling in a barren mountain.

Sand and dust raged outside the cave.

Inside, the lamps burned brightly.

Wang Hao sat behind a temporary blackwood table.

Spread across the table was a massive map of the Central Continent and the Lands of Darkness.

The locations of the Twelve Holy Lands were marked in gold.

The territories of the Nine Great Demonic Sects were marked in black and red.

The mines, herb valleys, ruins, ancient battlefields, crossings over the Yin River, and spiritual-vein nodes controlled by both sides had all been circled one by one in vermilion ink by Wang Hao.

They were densely packed.

Like a starry chessboard.

Yin Jiuyou, Han Shanyue, Xue Wuhen, the Demon Lord, and several dozen carefully selected Great Xia covert guards all stood below him.

The covert guards had changed their attire.

Some were disguised as wandering cultivators.

Some looked like caravan workers.

Some had taken on the appearance of disciples from down-and-out sects.

A few even wore chains of bone and had ghostly patterns painted across their bodies. At first glance, they looked more like proper demonic cultivators than actual demonic cultivators.

Wang Hao looked at them with a solemn expression.

“Everyone.”

“Next, I am going to entrust you with a difficult, dangerous, but glorious mission.”

Everyone’s expressions tightened.

His Majesty was rarely this serious.

Could he be planning to assassinate a high-ranking member of the Holy Lands?

Or infiltrate the ancestral grounds of a demonic sect?

Wang Hao spoke slowly.

“Spread rumors.”

Everyone fell silent.

The cavern was quiet for a moment.

Han Shanyue’s expression stiffened.

The corner of Yin Jiuyou’s eye twitched.

Xue Wuhen lowered his head, as though he had already expected this.

The Demon Lord rubbed his forehead.

He knew it.

Wang Hao tapped the tabletop.

“Do not underestimate rumors.”

“A blade can kill one person.”

“A rumor can make an entire group draw their own weapons.”

“A Martial God can shatter a mountain with one punch.”

“But the right sentence can make ten Martial Gods go smash their enemies’ ancestral graves.”

The covert guards gradually grew serious.

Wang Hao continued.

“The Holy Lands and the demonic sects have just fought a battle. Both sides are hurting, and both sides are furious.”

“But they are not crazy enough yet.”

“Because the people at the top know how to calculate.”

“They weigh the consequences.”

“They think about how to stop the war and minimize their losses.”

“So we have to make sure they cannot stop.”

“We need the Holy Lands to believe that the demonic sects are gathering their forces and preparing to invade the Central Continent.”

“We need the demonic sects to believe that the Holy Lands are drawing up a plan to wipe out demonic cultivators, one sect at a time, and cleanse the Land of Sin.”

“We need every faction to feel that it is being watched.”

“We need every faction to believe that the one next door has already defected in secret.”

Yin Jiuyou could not help asking, “Your Majesty, won’t this be too complicated?”

Wang Hao smiled faintly.

“Complicated?”

“Human nature is complicated to begin with.”

“All we need to do is give people a reason they can believe.”

He pointed at the map.

“The Taiyin Holy Land and the Yellow Springs Demon Sect already have an old grudge.”

“Start there.”

“Spread the word: the Taiyin Holy Land has been collecting the remnant souls of Yellow Springs disciples outside Yellow Springs Ferry. They are preparing to forge a ‘Taiyin Soul-Eating Mirror,’ a treasure designed specifically to counter the Yellow Springs Soul Banner.”

Yin Jiuyou immediately began taking notes.

Wang Hao pointed to another location.

“The Sword Mound Holy Land and the White Bone Demon Sect.”

“Spread this: the remains of the Sword Master who disappeared three hundred years ago were refined into a corpse puppet by the White Bone Demon Sect.”

Xue Wuhen looked up.

“Your Majesty, is that true?”

Wang Hao glanced at him.

“Does it matter?”

Xue Wuhen understood.

It did not matter.

As long as the Sword Mound Holy Land believed it might be true, that was enough.

Wang Hao continued.

“The Blood Lotus Holy Land and the Blood Prison Demon Sect.”

“This one is the easiest.”

“Spread the word: the Blood Lotus Holy Land is using the bloodlines of Blood Prison disciples to research a new Blood Lotus Pool, with the intention of turning the Blood Prison Demon Sect into a source of raw materials.”

With a temper like Tu Qianshan’s, he would explode the moment he heard that.

If he did not, he would be letting down that serrated greatsword of his.

“The Golden Repository Holy Land and the Myriad Souls Demon Sect.”

“Spread this: the Golden Repository Holy Land is forging a Soul-Suppressing Golden Pagoda to refine the ancestral souls of every generation of the Myriad Souls Demon Sect.”

The Demon Lord’s brows twitched violently.

“These rumors are vicious.”

Wang Hao corrected him.

“They are not rumors.”

“They are reasonable deductions made by the common people.”

The Demon Lord fell silent.

Fine.

You were the emperor.

Whatever you called them, they were.

Wang Hao then began assigning missions.

One team would go to the Central Continent.

They would infiltrate teahouses, taverns, merchant guilds, escort agencies, and marketplaces for wandering cultivators.

They would spread the hidden details of the battle between the Holy Lands and the demonic sects.

They were to focus on three points:

First, the Holy Lands had suffered a crushing defeat at Yellow Springs Ferry.

Second, the demonic sects were summoning the Nine Great Sects and preparing to retaliate.

Third, the higher-ups of the Holy Lands had already decided to sacrifice some border cities as bait.

Another team would go to the Lands of Darkness.

The Lands of Darkness lay between the Central Continent and the Land of Sin. Wandering cultivators, fugitives, fringe demonic forces, and black-market merchants were all mixed together there.

There was no order.

But news traveled faster there than anywhere else.

Wang Hao ordered them to spread the following message:

The Twelve Holy Lands were preparing to jointly blockade the Lands of Darkness. Anyone who traded with the demonic sects would have their entire clan executed.

At the same time, they were to spread the opposite message as well:

The Nine Great Demonic Sects were preparing to massacre the Lands of Darkness and refine all the wandering cultivators into battle slaves.

One message would frighten the peripheral forces aligned with the Holy Lands.

The other would frighten the demonic sects’ vassals.

The more afraid both sides became, the more likely they would be to strike first.

There was also a team dedicated solely to “evidence.”

They would forge secret letters.

Forge Holy Land tokens.

Forge demonic sect seals.

Forge dying confessions.

They would even forge sleep-talk.

One of the covert guards could not help asking, “Your Majesty, how do you forge sleep-talk?”

“Find a storyteller,” Wang Hao replied seriously.

“Have him say: A demonic cultivator spent the night at an inn and shouted in his sleep, ‘In three days, we will massacre the Taiyin caravan.’”

The covert guard stared blankly.

“Would anyone believe that?”

Wang Hao said calmly, “Of course not everyone would believe it.”

“But if the Taiyin caravan really is robbed three days later, people will believe it.”

The covert guard hesitated.

“Then who will rob it?”

Wang Hao looked toward Xue Wuhen.

Xue Wuhen immediately lowered his head.

“Your subject understands.”

The Demon Lord could not help laughing.

“This isn’t spreading rumors anymore.”

“You’re writing the script first, then making reality perform according to it.”

Wang Hao waved a hand.

“Keep it low-key.”

“I am merely showing a little respect for the public’s imagination.”

Everyone fell silent.

From then on, the cavern became Great Xia’s rumor-warfare command center.

Wang Hao personally began teaching classes.

Lesson One: A rumor must not be too absurd.

If it was too ridiculous, no one would believe it.

For example, “The leaders of the Twelve Holy Lands have all been replaced by aberrations” could only fool a three-year-old.

Of course, if one added the phrase “according to the dying confession of a Transcendent” to the beginning, it could fool a five-year-old.

Lesson Two: A rumor needed details.

“The Holy Lands are going to wipe out the demonic sects” was too vague.

It had to be changed to:

“At the third quarter of the Rat Hour, the Taiyin Holy Land’s Third Elder held a secret meeting with the Sword Mound’s Enforcement Envoy in the rear hall of the Cold Moon Palace. They planned to destroy Yellow Springs first, then eliminate White Bone, and finally use the Blood Lotus Holy Land as bait to lure and kill Blood Prison.”

The more specific it was, the more authentic it sounded.

Lesson Three: A rumor should ideally contain a mixture of truth.

For example, the battle at Yellow Springs Ferry was real.

Meng Que being gravely wounded was real.

The assassination attempt by the Blood Lotus Martial God was real.

The old man in the blood robe ambushing Wang Hao was also real.

Use those true events as the skeleton, then grow flesh over them.

Even if the flesh was fake, the whole thing would still look alive.

Lesson Four: Don’t just say how evil the other side is.

You also have to talk about how miserable your own side is.

For example, the Demon Sect could spread the word:

“The Young Lord of Yellow Springs was nearly killed. Three hundred and seventy-two Yellow Springs disciples were killed or wounded, and the Holy Land claims it was merely ‘incidental.’”

The Holy Land, meanwhile, could spread this:

“A Martial God of the Holy Land was killed in a Demon Sect ambush. His bones were obliterated, and the Demon Sect even refined his soul while laughing at him.”

Only then would the disciples at the bottom become enraged.

Once the flames of anger were burning, it would be difficult for those at the top to suppress them.

Lesson Five: You must arrange for someone to refute the rumors.

When Wang Hao reached this point, the secret guards were all dumbfounded.

“Your Majesty, why do we need someone to refute them?”

Wang Hao took a sip of tea and said calmly:

“A rumor that no one refutes sounds like an official announcement.”

“Once someone refutes it, it starts to sound like a secret.”

“And the refutation must be extremely stupid.”

“For example, he might say: ‘Impossible. How could the Blood Lotus Holy Land use virgin boys and girls to refine the pool? They only use the essence blood of martial artists.’”

Everyone fell silent.

Yin Jiuyou’s brush stopped in midair.

That was too vicious.

That wasn’t a refutation.

That was filling in the details for them.

Wang Hao continued:

“Also, the rumors must be spread in layers.”

“Tell ordinary disciples about blood feuds.”

“Tell wandering cultivators about profits.”

“Tell the merchant guilds about blockades.”

“Tell the elders about conspiracies.”

“Tell the sect masters about betrayal.”

“Different people fear different things.”

“You have to make them feel, after hearing the rumor, that it was practically tailored specifically for them.”

The more the secret guards listened, the more horrified they became.

They had never imagined that there could be so many intricacies behind a single rumor.

In the past, they had killed with blades.

Now His Majesty was telling them—

A tongue could kill as well.

And it could kill from farther away.

More filthily.

And more cheaply.

Wang Hao finalized the plan.

“This operation shall be called—Spring Breeze.”

Han Shanyue was taken aback.

“Spring Breeze?”

Wang Hao nodded.

“Spring winds bring rain, moistening all things in silence.”

The corner of Yin Jiuyou’s mouth twitched.

How was this a spring breeze?

It was a sinister wind.

Wherever it blew, people would die.

Wang Hao looked at everyone.

“Remember.”

“Great Xia must not become involved in the open battlefield.”

“You are not people of Great Xia.”

“You are refugees, merchants, drunkards, patrons of brothels, storytellers, fugitives, and black-market brokers.”

“If you are captured, no one will acknowledge you.”

“Of course, I will provide your families with ten times the standard compensation.”

The secret guards all knelt in unison.

“We are willing to die for Your Majesty!”

Wang Hao nodded.

“Go.”

“Let both the Central Continent and the Land of Sin hear the spring breeze.”

The others dispersed.

Only Yin Jiuyou, Han Shanyue, the Demon Lord, and the New Emperor Sword remained inside the cave dwelling.

Han Shanyue looked at the map and said in a low voice:

“Your Majesty, if this plan succeeds, many people from the Holy Land and the Demon Sect will die.”

Wang Hao’s gaze remained calm.

“Shanyue.”

“Let me ask you this.”

“If the Holy Land and the Demon Sect do not die, how many people from Great Xia will have to die?”

Han Shanyue was speechless.

Wang Hao rose and walked to the entrance of the cave dwelling.

Outside, the windblown sand was like a sea, while the night pressed down upon the heavens.

He slowly said:

“An emperor is no Buddha.”

“Once you sit in this chair, you can no longer look at just one life.”

“If I show mercy, the people of the northern border will bleed in my place.”

“If my hands are dirty, the people of Great Xia can sleep peacefully for a few more nights.”

He paused.

“So I will be the one to do this filthy work.”

The Demon Lord looked at Wang Hao’s back, his expression somewhat complicated.

This man was shameless.

Greedy.

A masterful actor.

And exceptionally good at setting people up.

But he truly did resemble an emperor.

An emperor who, for the sake of his own nation, was willing to drag the entire world into the mud.

The New Emperor Sword suddenly whispered:

“Master, what you just said sounded rather righteous.”

Wang Hao turned around.

“What do you mean, ‘sounded rather’?”

The New Emperor Sword immediately changed its wording.

“It was extremely righteous!”

Wang Hao nodded in satisfaction.

Then he lowered his head and looked at a mountain marked with a circle of vermilion ink on the map.

It was a Cold Marrow Mine controlled by the Taiyin Holy Land in the Dark Lands.

Not far away was the Soul Valley of the Yellow Springs Demon Sect.

The distance between them was short.

Their relationship was terrible.

It was the perfect place for something to happen.

The corners of Wang Hao’s mouth slowly curved upward.

“Propaganda is all well and good.”

“But for the rumors to truly take root, a little practical demonstration is still necessary.”

Yin Jiuyou’s heart tightened.

“Your Majesty, are you planning to go there personally?”

Wang Hao said indifferently:

“I’m idle anyway.”

“And while I’m at it… I might as well replenish the national treasury.”

Yin Jiuyou: “…”

He knew it.

After all that talk about the fate of the world, it still came down to making money.

Wang Hao picked up a human-skin mask and placed it over his face.

In the next instant, his features changed into those of a sinister-looking middle-aged demonic cultivator.

He wore a black robe, a chain of bones, and blood-red markings.

Under the concealment of a Yellow Springs Soul-Feint Talisman, even his aura became cold and intimidating.

He looked at the others, his voice low and hoarse.

“From this moment on…”

“My name is Huang San.”

“An outer sect steward of the Yellow Springs Demon Sect.”

The New Emperor Sword asked excitedly:

“What about me?”

Wang Hao glanced at it.

“You’re called Shut Up.”

The New Emperor Sword: “…”

Under the cover of night, Wang Hao quietly left the barren mountains.

At the same time, the “Spring Breeze” he had dispatched began blowing toward the Central Continent and the Dark Lands.

No one knew that a fire more sinister, more protracted, and far harder to extinguish than the battle at Yellow Springs Ferry had already begun to burn—

Ignited by nothing more than one joke after another.