Chapter 561: Three Solutions To Decide Life Or Death

“What do you mean, Bodhisattva?” Ye Qing voiced his puzzlement.

“You didn’t think that Xiong Kuohai went so far as to risk the wrath of Sword King City and Earthfire Palace of Demons just to destroy me and the Buddhist Hall of Joy, did you?”

Joy Bodhisattva explained slowly, “For the longest time, Xiong Kuohai had plotted to conquer Bei You, which is why he views his greatest competitors—Tower of Cornucopia, Shade of Scents, and my Buddhist Hall of Joy—as the thorns in his side. Long before I became a Grandmaster, Xiong Kuohai had already been scheming to devour us all. To that end, he even colluded with Huang Tianba in secret and enacted multiple crafty plots and machinations, though he hadn’t succeeded so far due to one reason or another.”

“This time, all of the heads in Bei You including Gold Ingot of Tower of Cornucopia and Mistress Ruyi of Shade of Scents are gathered at Blissful Mountain. This is his chance to destroy all of us in one go, and Xiong Kuohai isn’t one to let such an opportunity slip through his grasp.”

Ye Qing nodded in realization. Now he understood what she meant.

Joy Bodhisattva continued, “Therefore, Xiong Kuohai isn’t just plotting to use my guests to eliminate me. He is planning to use me to eliminate the forces of Bei You and especially Gold Ingot and Mistress Ruyi. Assuming that everything went as planned, he could devour the Buddhist Hall of Joy, Tower of Cornucopia and Shade of Scents at once and achieve his dream, all without lifting a finger.”

“Do you think I’m right, scion?”

Ye Qing replied in an impressed tone, “You are. I didn’t think everything through.”

That was what he said, but it wasn’t really his fault. It had only been weeks since he arrived at Bei You, and he hadn’t figured out the complex relationships between the major forces of Bei You yet. It was inevitable that his deductions would have holes in it.

“You are too humble, scion. As an outsider, it is perfectly normal that you aren’t privy to the darkness of our little world.” Joy Bodhisattva consoled him before asking another question, “Since you’ve figured out Xiong Kuohai’s plan, do you have a solution for it?”

Ye Qing thought for a moment before answering, “Well, I can think of three solutions. I’ll start with the bad solution first.”

“The bad solution is to not treat the guests with the Blissful Spring and feign ignorance. Your goal would be to survive this Trueman feast without anymore ‘pleasant surprises’ from Xiong Kuohai.”

“The middle solution is to attack Xiong Kuohai first. While he is still unaware that you are onto him, you can mobilize the full power of the Buddhist Hall of Joy and capture or kill Xiong Kuohai in a blitz attack.”

“And finally, the good solution is to give him a taste of his own medicine. Xiong Kuohai thinks he can use your guests to kill you, and you to kill off your guests. But with the right manipulation, it is not impossible to turn the guests against him instead.”

All three solutions had their strengths and flaws. The bad solution was the safest solution as it completely neutralized the threat represented by the Burning Heart. Neither the guests nor the Buddhist Hall of Joy would be endangered by the conspiracy, and the Trueman feast would reach its conclusion without a hitch.

The problem was that there was nothing they could do against Xiong Kuohai either. After all, the poisoning had never happened, so what justification did they have to arrest or kill Xiong Kuohai? The bastard would be able to walk scot free despite coming so close to ruining everyone at once.

“Our objective is to give Xiong Kuohai a taste of his own medicine, right? The crux of this puzzle is how we can convince everyone that Xiong Kuohai is planning to use them before tossing them aside like trash.”

“There is a saying called seeing is believing. We can tell everyone Xiong Kuohai’s plan down to the last detail, but it still wouldn’t be as convincing as them seeing it with their own eyes. And what better way there is to do this than to have Xiong Kuohai admit his own plan?”

“It sounds like you already have a core concept for your idea.” Joy Bodhisattva stared at Ye Qing with clear eyes that resembled the celestial bodies of the sky.

“That’s right!” Ye Qing declared with confidence. “The core concept of my idea is... acting!”

“Acting?” Joy Bodhisattva figured out his meaning immediately. “You want me to cooperate with the guests and put on a show for Xiong Kuohai? We would pretend to be afflicted by the Burning Heart and fight each other until Xiong Kuohai decides to step up and claim the spoils?”

“You are wise, Bodhisattva. That is exactly what I’m saying,” Ye Qing answered.

However, Joy Bodhisattva shook her head decisively after mulling over Ye Qing’s idea for a moment.

“What don’t you like about my plan, Bodhisattva?” Ye Qing was caught off guard by her reaction. For the moment, this was the best idea he could think of. “Or are you unwilling to...?”

“Did you think I’m unwilling to accept your idea because I wish to monopolize the rewards for myself?” Joy Bodhisattva asked.

“My apologies, Bodhisattva,” replied Ye Qing while clasping his hands. His apology made it clear that that was exactly what he thought.

For an act to succeed, all the actors must know the script and the truth of the matter. However, this meant that the Buddhist Hall of Joy could no longer monopolize the pie that was Endless Sand. In fact, they could no longer seize the opportunity to subdue the other forces and dominate Bei You in one fell swoop.

Ye Qing thought that Joy Bodhisattva was rejecting his idea because she was unwilling to let go of such a golden opportunity.

“I won’t deny that I am unwilling to allow such an opportunity to slip through my mask. I won’t deny that I wish to monopolize everything either. However, I am not so foolish as to put my self-interests over my own life.”

Joy Bodhisattva did not take offense despite Ye Qing’s doubt. “I am just speaking facts, and the fact is, your idea is too naive, scion.”

[1]

1. Make no mistake, Joy Bodhisattva is one scary woman. In this world it’s perfectly fine to underestimate a man, a child, grandpas and grandmas, but never underestimate a woman. You’ll learn more in the near future. I’m not entirely sure I can do Joy Bodhisattva justice with my translation but I’ll do my best. ☜