Chapter 454: Lei Aos Death

Chapter 454: Lei Ao's Death

For Sisi, Lei Ao’s death was actually a good thing.

Because the one who “had to” kill him was a Xia person. Not only would the Black Hmong Tribe refrain from causing trouble for Sisi, but they would also formally invite the saintess of the Ancient Spirit Tribe to join in a grand discussion about rebelling against the Great Xia Empire.

The excuse for a rebellion that had been lost when Yue Hongling assassinated Pacification Commissioner Lan Tiankuo suddenly reappeared.

That night, Lei Zhentang, the tribal chief of the Black Hmong Tribe, widely distributed invitations to all heroes, inviting all the tribes to gather in Dali. His message was clear: Since the Xia have killed my son, none of you are safe either, so why not join forces and rebel against them?

Everyone knew it was just an excuse, but an excuse was necessary.

There were already several ambitious tribal chiefs who wanted to seize the opportunity during the turmoil of the Great Xia Empire to establish their own independent kingdoms. What they lacked was a broader consensus among the hundred tribes.

The opposition from small tribes like the Ancient Spirit Tribe was a minor issue. The real opposition came from larger pro-Xia tribes like the White Hmong and the Yao[1] tribes, whose general stance was that there was no substantial difference between the current state of autonomy and complete independence. They had no interest in founding a kingdom and viewed rebellion as unnecessary and reckless. They knew full well that Lei Zhentang’s claims of oppression by the pacification commissioner were exaggerated, and they knew full well he had been taking a cut of the “taxes” himself.

Sisi believed that this was simply the Black Hmong Tribe’s attempt to consolidate power among the tribes. Once an alliance was formed and troops were raised under the guise of rebellion, the military response from Shu would facilitate integration. During the war, the tribes would be easily integrated under the leadership of the strongest. It would all likely just end with Lei Zhentang donning a royal robe and founding the Kingdom of Dali.

Lei Zhentang was one of the few people from Miaojiang on the Ranking of Troubled Times—twenty-eighth on the Ranking of Earth, even slightly higher than Wang Daozhong. He held immense prestige in Miaojiang and wielded significant power, and with the covert assistance of Shi Wuding, he was fully capable of executing such a plan.

However, Sisi’s view was not shared by the White Hmong and other tribes. They simply felt that rebellion was not in their best interests.

Everyone had their own agenda, and for several months, Miaojiang had been in turmoil. The Black Hmong Tribe had been maneuvering between the other tribes for a long time, trying to build alliances.

The situation had already become tense for quite some time. By the time Zhao Changhe entered Xizhou, the dissatisfaction of the Miaojiang people with the Xia was written on their faces. The Black Hmong Tribe was just one step away from securing the final agreements with the remaining tribes. Once that happened, they could rally the masses and use the pacification commissioner’s death as a pretext for rebellion, leaving smaller tribes like the Ancient Spirit Tribe with no choice but to follow.

At this critical time, Yue Hongling, fleeing to Miaojiang, happened to cross paths with Sisi. Learning that Yue Hongling was being pursued by Shi Wuding, Sisi quietly took her in. The previous tension between them, caused by Sisi impersonating Yue Hongling, quickly dissipated, and instead, they bonded as long-lost friends, even regarding each other as sisters.

After staying for some time, Yue Hongling grasped the situation. One opposed the pacification commissioner’s exploitation of the people, while the other did not want to be forced into a rebellion. The two women quickly found common ground. They devised a plan where Sisi would impersonate Yue Hongling to divert Shi Wuding’s attention while Yue Hongling secretly infiltrated Dali to assassinate Lan Tiankuo. On the day of the assassination, Zhao Changhe entered the storm.

With Lan Tiankuo dead, the Black Hmong Tribe’s pretext for rebellion suddenly vanished. However, they were already too far in to turn back.

Now, Lei Ao’s assassination became the perfect justification, even better than the previous reason to rebel against the pacification commissioner.

Lei Ao, the heir of a tribe, was killed. His assassination was a major political event. Even the White Hmong and other tribes began to question whether the Xia might target them next. After all, Lei Ao had no serious flaws. If the Xia could kill Lei Ao, who was to say that they would not kill others too?

Everyone knew that Lei Ao’s death was suspicious. What if it was Lei Zhentang, who murdered his own son for the sake of his ambition? They would need to investigate and get to the bottom of everything first.

The next day, the leaders of a dozen tribes that lived around the Cangshan and Erhai gathered in Dali at the invitation of the Black Hmong Tribe’s tribal chief, Lei Zhentang.

As the leader of the Ancient Spirit Tribe, Sisi was naturally among those invited. She brought a small team with her to the meeting. By her side were two protectors, one man and one woman, both unfamiliar faces to the others.

Pan Wan, the Yao Tribe’s chief, said, “Why not let the culprit explain why he did this?”

A member of the Black Hmong Tribe grabbed Qi Siyuan by the hair, forcing him to raise his head. Surprisingly, Qi Siyuan still looked proud and defiant. “Prefectural Governor Di was furious at the poor quality of jade that Lei Ao supplied. He had warned Lei Ao several times, but Lei Ao continued to ignore him. The governor felt his authority was being challenged, so he sent me to teach Lei Ao a lesson. It had to be done publicly! The great might of the Xia cannot be challenged by you barbaric tribes!”

The hall erupted in outrage. “Unbelievable!”

“Let’s revolt! Who does Di Muzhi think he is?!”

“They know full well why the jade was poor quality!”

Even Pan Wan shook her head, somewhat believing the story. It certainly seemed like something a Xia official might do.

Lei Zhentang, seeing the crowd’s fury, had a brief flicker of satisfaction in his eyes before quickly putting on a sorrowful expression. “My friends, ever since our former king was treacherously slain by Xia Longyuan and the Dali Kingdom was destroyed, our tribes have been fragmented, and we’ve suffered under the Xia’s oppression for decades. Do I need to tell you what kind of lives we’ve been living? Lan Tiankuo was only in power for a month, yet how many of our women had he demanded? Even our wives and daughters weren’t spared!”

“And now it’s my son!”

“Next, it’ll be your sons!”

“I, Lei Zhentang, refuse to live as a slave any longer. Do you want to continue living this way?”

His powerful words stirred the crowd. The hall was filled with heated responses, but then a discordant voice suddenly interrupted, “That corpse isn’t even your son, so what are you shouting about?”

Lei Zhentang’s voice caught in his throat, and he erupted in fury, “Who are you?!”

Immediately, his aides whispered to him, informing him that the speaker was Si Laoye, the Ancient Spirit Tribe’s protector who had made quite a spectacle the previous night in the Spirit Tribe’s mountain stronghold.

Lei Zhentang sneered, “So, you’re the Ancient Spirit Tribe’s protector. I’ve heard of your impressive sword art and your ties to the Central Plains.”

“Does it really matter who I am?” Zhao Changhe brushed off the remark. “Isn’t the real question whether this is actually your son?”

Lei Zhentang slammed his hand on the armrest and stood up in anger. “Are you saying I can’t recognize my own son?”

“That’s what’s strange.” Zhao Changhe pinched the corpse’s cheeks and pried open its mouth. “As far as I know, your son was missing a tooth, but this corpse’s teeth are perfectly intact... Oh, except for a little cavity. Nice dental work—perhaps you could share this technique with everyone, Tribal Chief Lei?”

The hall suddenly fell into dead silence.

The deceased had a sword wound in the throat, and none of the examiners had thought to pry open his mouth.

Yet somehow, this man had already been certain it was a fake even before he checked!

1. The Yao people or Dao is a classification for various ethnic minorities in China and Vietnam. Their majority branch is also known as Mien. They are one of the 56 officially recognized ethnic groups within China and reside in the mountainous southwest and south of the country. ☜