by <unknown>
"However, we did not want to go to the federal government directly, because… because…"
"Because you had your concerns," Cui Lingfeng said. "On one hand, you were worried that the federation would not trust you but suspect you to be spies from the Imperium, in which case you would be imprisoned and interrogated. Or maybe, you brought tremendous secret treasures and techniques of the Red Lotus Sector when you escaped, which you would rather tell nobody else.
"On the other hand, you were worried that you would be manipulated or even regarded as cannon fodder by the federation because you were terribly outnumbered. Furthermore, you were worried about whether or not the Star Glory Federation was an ideal country of the real Cultivators and whether or not it boasted the capabilities to resist the Imperium, right?"
Li Yao pretended to be shocked. "How did you know?"
"Because what worried you worries me, too." Cui Lingfeng smiled bitterly. "Alright, please continue."
Li Yao licked his dry lips and said, "You're quite right. We are the last hope of the Red Lotus Sector. Naturally, we brought a lot of treasures of the Red Lotus civilization when we escaped. We do not want those treasures to fall into somebody else's hands.
"One can never be too cautious. At least, we do not want to lose all our secrets before we decide that the Star Glory Federation is really trustworthy.
"As it happened, we learned something about Firefly in Fish Dragon City. Then, I happened to run into Tang Xiaoxing, Captain Tang Dingyuan's daughter, in a magical equipment store."
Chapter 1619: Immortal Cultivator 2.0 |
Li Yao opened his hands and said, "As you can see, I am a refiner. It was really a coincidence that I ran into Tang Xiaoxing in the magical equipment store. I did not know her identity back then and merely discussed the arts of refining with her for a while. Then, after learning that a batch of your rare materials was on sale, I went to your warehouse with her to check the goods, only to suffer an assault while we were on the way.
"As a Cultivator, naturally, there was no way that I would allow her to be killed. Rescuing her was as coincidental as rescuing you. However, after I saved her life, she told me some more inside information about Firefly. She also said that her father is the captain of Firefly.
"Then, I immediately thought of something.
"Right now, what we are short of is a legal identity to enter the federation, but if we can save the captain of Firefly from the bad guys and help the 'bridge faction' completely crush the 'parliament faction', chances are that he will appoint us as the special envoys of Firefly, in which case, we will be able to swagger into the federation on a red carpet!
"After all, what happened to us is similar to Firefly's experience. We have shared the same suffering. If we also save Captain Tang's life, we believe that he definitely won't hesitate to help us.
"Therefore, after thorough planning, I was asked to sneak in first. I infiltrated Professor Luo De's place and pretended to be Professor Luo De.
"My original purpose was merely to deliver the metal cylinder which stored the scarlet ball to the person behind the scheme. Naturally, devices were installed in the cylinder to help us scan the terrain, eavesdrop on secrets, and deduce where Captain Tang was caged. Then, my partners would be able to sneak in more precisely and rescue Captain Tang.
"According to the original plan, I should've been sitting comfortably in Professor Luo De's refining workshop. But as it happened, I was summoned you and saved you in the end before we saved Captain Tang."
Cui Lingfeng stared at Li Yao. "You didn't hurt Professor Luo De, did you?"
Li Yao was slightly dazed before shaking his head. "Of course not. Professor Luo De was tricked and did not know the whole story. As a Cultivator, why would I hurt him?
"All in all, this is about everything. Although it sounds like a tale, I guarantee that, well, ninety-five percent of what I said is true," Li Yao calculated solemnly.
It was the latest identity that Long Yangjun and him had fabricated carefully after thorough consideration. Ninety-five percent of their background was indeed true. Unless the listener was prophetic and omniscient, it would be practically impossible for them to locate any loopholes.
Cui Lingfeng gradually recovered his original calmness and shrewdness. Instead of pursuing whether or not Li Yao was speaking the truth, he asked a different question. "How many people do you have out there? How strong they are?"
Although he could refuse to answer, Li Yao still replied quickly. "There are twelve other than me, all between the Core Formation Stage and the Nascent Soul Stage!"
"So strong?" Cui Lingfeng was rather shocked despite his preparation.
"It can't be helped. We fought for too long against the army of the Imperium on our mother planet. Those who were not strong enough either died or surrendered," Li Yao said. "Only those who were strong enough were able to run to this place across the sea of stars.
"However, although our Cultivation is not low, our training resources are highly insufficient. We can barely make ends meet right now, which is also why we are in a hurry to look for Captain Tang's cooperation."
Cui Lingfeng's eyes suddenly glittered. "So, your companions are already on their way to rescue Captain Tang?"
"I don't know." Li Yao tapped his ears and said, "I deployed some one-way communication magical equipment on the starship, but we travelled in the vacuum tubes for too long just now. This is an unknown area. The signal is intermittent, and I cannot reach out to them.
"Judging from the pieces of information that I received, they must've already snuck in. However, because of the chaos on the starship, and since we do not want to hurt any innocent folk, we have to keep a low profile in our operation. I don't think that they can rescue Captain Tang so quickly."
Cui Lingfeng nodded slowly and said, "Alright. Assuming that you have been speaking the truth, what should I call you, fellow Cultivator from the Red Lotus Sector?"
Li Yao blinked and said, "Lin Jiu."
Cui Lingfeng did not care about whether it was a real name or a false one at all. He said solemnly, "Thank you for saving my life, Fellow Cultivator Lin! You said that it was only a coincidence that you saved me. I wonder, what are you planning to do right now?"
Li Yao scratched the back of his head and said, "Continue our original plan, of course. We will rescue Captain Tang, win his trust, help the 'bridge faction' completely crush the 'parliament faction', and drive the Speaker away!
"Do excuse us, Speaker Cui, but this is nothing personal. After all, we are more inclined to join the Star Glory Federation, although we want to observe it first so that we will be able to defend our interests as best as possible. Captain Tang seems to be thinking exactly the same way.
"As for you…
"Forget it. There's no need to talk about that now. Despite our different opinions, based on the series of events just now, I believe that you are a true Cultivator. Now that I've saved you, I'd better make sure that you are properly taken care of. Are you going to the 'No. 1 Fortress'? Or maybe, do you have other secret troops that are more loyal than Cheng Xuansu? I'll escort you to them!"
Li Yao looked at Cui Lingfeng very sincerely.
Cui Lingfeng's face, however, grew dim again. He thought for a long time and finally said gloomily, "Fellow Cultivator Lin, the bodyguard sealed in his crystal suit cannot overhear the conversation between us, can he?"
"Of course not." Li Yao smiled. "I am not a rookie. When I destroyed his crystal suit, I naturally turned off the crystal cameras and the soundwave sensors on the crystal suit. He can't see or hear a thing."
"Alright. Can you do me one more favor?" Cui Lingfeng said. "Open his facial cover and then give me five minutes. I'll give you a… satisfactory answer."
Li Yao's smile was even more brilliant. "Sure. It's very smart of you. No wonder you are the Speaker."
The bodyguard who was confined to his crystal suit unable to move was the leader of Red Phoenix Group, which was responsible for the Speake
r's safety.
It was also why Li Yao had kept him alive. Based on the positions of the four bodyguards and their body language before they lunged forward, Li Yao had already concluded that he was the leader of the four of them.
When the guy's facial cover was lifted, his face was completely pale after being soaked in darkness for so long. He was almost drowned by his own sweat.
"Cheng Bin," Cui Lingfeng said expressionlessly. "Do you see it now? Everything was within my expectations. I knew that something was wrong with you, and I intentionally set up such a trap to fish you up.
"Everything is under my control. Cheng Xuansu has committed suicide for fear of her punishment. Ding Zhengyang is also surrounded by my men in the bridge and about to be captured. Are you going to follow their example, or are you going to grasp the last chance to do the right thing?"
The spine of the bodyguard 'Cheng Bin' was unlocked by Li Yao. Hardly had he turned his head when he noticed Cheng Xuansu's headless body on the ground. His face was even paler than before, and his sweat was as red as blood. He cried, "Speaker, I—I—"
"Aright. Cut the nonsense. Now that you are willing to repent, I'll give you an opportunity to correct your mistakes," Cui Lingfeng said calmly. "How many people do you have? Other than Cheng Xuansu and Ding Zhengyang, who else among the leadership of the starship are with you? Speak now! One more name means one less charge for you!"
"I—I don't know!" Cheng Bing shook his face hard, his face pale. "We always maintained one-way communication. Leader Cheng was the commander for the few of us. I only met some other fellow Cultivators during the 'Immortality Orientation'."
"Immortality Orientation?" Cui Lingfeng frowned. "Tell me about it."
"It is a secret seminar where we explore the true path of immortality," Cheng Bin said quickly. "At first, Leader Cheng gave us some leaflets on the truth path of immortality. She claimed that it was very popular on the starship nowadays and asked us to find out who was behind all that, declaring that such evil, addictive thoughts must not disseminate and contaminate on our starship.
"It was the job of the secret police of the Internal Affairs Division after all. At that time, we were not suspicious at all but simply read the leaflets critically.
"However, after I studied what the leaflets said, the more I thought about it, the more I felt that it—it did have a point and that it could not simply be summarized as 'evil'. I was quite bothered by my new finding.
"During that time, Leader Cheng often came to us to communicate with us. One day, I couldn't hold myself any longer and told her my trouble.
"After that, she often visited me and talked to me. After a few sessions, she brought me to one of the Immortality Orientations, introducing me to the true path of immortality interpreted by Master Lu in person. Then, I was—"
"Wait, Master Lu? Lu Qingchen?" Cui Lingfeng narrowed his eyes. "Lu Qingchen—president of the CIFA, the most wanted criminal of the federation, grandson of the leader of the Patriots Partnership in the past, and the leader of the local Immortal Cultivators of the federation—has been hiding on our starship the whole time? Did you meet him?"
"Not exactly." Cheng Bin shook his head and said, "We only watched videos and communicated about the ideas remotely. Even so, Master Lu, no, Lu Qingchen was so persuasive that we were all bewildered without us knowing."
Cui Lingfeng sniffed. "What exactly did he say that puzzled and perplexed all of you?"
"Too much." Cheng Bin sighed sorrowfully. "Speaker, I really did not want to betray the ideology of the Cultivators and degenerate into an Immortal Cultivator, but Master Lu said—he said that the classification of Cultivators and Immortal Cultivators is groundless. There are always two parts, namely 'Cultivator' and 'Immortal Cultivator', inside every individual, except that sometimes the 'Cultivator' part is greater, and sometimes the 'Immortal Cultivator' part is greater.
"He also said that Cultivators and Immortal Cultivators can be transformed into each other freely. Therefore, the issue must be viewed objectively according to actual circumstances.
"For example, the policies in 'troubled times' on Firefly hundreds of years ago did not look like something that Cultivators should do, but they helped us weather the difficulties and darkness!
"Then, were the leadership who made the decisions at that time Cultivators or Immortal Cultivators?
"Master Lu also said that the entire civilization of mankind is in 'troubled times', too, like Firefly hundreds of years ago. So, we have to resolve the problems with the Immortal Cultivators' system. This is not about exploiting the ordinary people but about dealing with the troubles together.
"As soon as the Alliance of the Holy Covenant is defeated and the universe is unified, there will be a technological leap, tremendous resources, and no more wars. Naturally, the ordinary people will gradually be given more rights.
"They—they're only part of Master Lu's views. Because our level was too low, we had no access to the truth path of immortality of a higher level. All in all, Leader Cheng told us that Master Lu's ideology was different from the true path of immortality that we knew in the past. It was perfect, advanced, dialectical, and objective. In short, he is the Immortal Cultivator 2.0!"
Chapter 1620: Team Red Lotus! |
"Leader Cheng said that it is a theory that originates from but also transcends the true path of immortality. She said that it was an effective supplement and improvement for the true path of immortality today. However, she did not go any further with us and only told us that there would be deeper discussions after the job was done."
"Alright," Cui Lingfeng said solemnly. "Leave your ideology aside. Who else participated in the Immortality Orientations together with you?"
Cheng Bin shook his head. "I don't know. During the Immortality Orientations, everybody changed into different appearances, and it was strictly forbidden to inquire about each other. Also, the participants of the Immortality Orientations must be of a similar level to myself. We were also asked to keep one-way communication with Leader Cheng. As for the members of higher levels, they had their own internal discussions and meetings.
"However…"
Seeing that Cui Lingfeng was frowning in disappointment, he thought for a moment and said, "I took part in three Immortality Orientations, and one person left a deep impression on me. He should be Lieutenant Xiao Yunpeng of the Speaker's Guard Corp. I once received training together with him a long time ago. His left leg was heavily wounded, and three artificial components were implanted into his knee to smoothen the veins. That's why he walked in a slightly different way.
"Xiao Yunpeng of the Speaker's Guard Corp…" Cui Lingfeng's eyes twitched abruptly. "Anyone else?"
Cheng Bin lowered his head and said, "I—I'm not sure. I only have some random guesses. Anyway—anyway, when Leader Cheng encouraged us to do this, she said that there were our men in every critical post on Firefly. She told us to simply do the job without any concerns! So, I think…"
Cui Lingfeng interrupted him quickly. "No evidence is needed right now. Just say the names of everyone that you are suspicious of. Quickly!"
Cheng Bin swallowed hard and reported a series of names. Every name hit Cui Lingfeng like a burning bullet, making it difficult for him to breathe.
After he confessed eighteen names, he looked at Cui Lingfeng pitifully.
Cui Lingfeng could not have looked more awful. Every wrinkle on his face turned into a deep canyon. He suddenly pressed Cheng Bin's neck and inputted a stream of spiritual energy, putting him into a coma.
After doing that, Cui Lingfeng was in a daze, his eyes mixed with the darkness of rust.
"We're not going to the 'No. 1 Fortress', are we?" As if nothing had happened, Li Yao spoke casually next to him. "It appears that Speaker Cui's close subordinates have been greatly compromised. A lot of your trusted people have betrayed you. You don't know if the rest of them are trustworthy for the time being, either.
"That makes sense. If I were Cheng Xuansu and I
was planning such a great thing, I would certainly start with those around the Speaker. I might not need to kill the Speaker at the very beginning, but I would have to find a way to make the Speaker a figurehead so that the subsequent operations would be more convenient!
"So, Speaker Cui, your five minutes are up. Have you decided where to go? I'm going to have to rescue Captain Tang and follow his orders after I escort you over!"
Cui Lingfeng struggled to turn his neck. He stared at Li Yao and said, one word after another, "My intuition tells me that ninety-five percent of what you said is indeed true."
Li Yao nodded. "Of course. As I said, this is really just a coincidence!"
"But my intuition also tells me that the key lies in the five percent of what you said that is not true."
Li Yao raised his hands. "It doesn't matter whether or not you trust me. As long as Captain Tang trusts us, it will do. If he trusts me and gives us an identity under which we can enter the federation openly, we will serve him. Simple as that."
Cui Lingfeng looked at Li Yao in the eyes. "Simple as that?"
Li Yao looked back at him honestly, too. "Yes. Simple as that."
Cui Lingfeng took a deep, deep breath. He mumbled to himself, "I am still reluctant to believe that you are nothing more than locals from the Red Locus Sector. However, according to my calculations based on all the given information, the odds that you are from the Imperium, the Covenant Alliance, or the federation are hundreds of times lower than the odds that you are from the Red Lotus Sector. This is all too uncanny and sophisticated. I need to think about it more carefully…"
