Zongwu: Aspiring to be the mastermind behind the scenes

Chapter 205 The Secret Passage to Bright Summit, Arslan
The search efforts of the six major factions were not ideal.

"It's been seven days, and we've searched over 200 miles, but we still haven't found any trace of Cheng Kun."

"That's strange. Even if he can run, how could he possibly go without food and sleep for the next few days?"

Both Iron Fist and Cold Jade had their brows furrowed.

Wu Feng sat calmly, examining the search results in his hands.

"Senior Brother, you've been watching for so long, what have you figured out?"

Wu Feng said, "I saw that you searched very quickly and thoroughly, but you didn't find even the slightest trace of Cheng Kun!"

Iron Fist was speechless: "That's it?"

Wu Feng shook his head: "You didn't understand what I meant. To be honest, Cheng Kun's strength is indeed at the level of a Second Flower Grandmaster, but he is not young, and his Essence Flower has withered, so he is only comparable to a Grandmaster."

With that kind of strength, even if he could run, it would be unlikely he could evade the search, let alone leave not a trace.

Iron Fist's eyes flickered: "I understand, Senior Brother means that Cheng Kun didn't actually run away at all?"

"That's right! Only this possibility can explain why Cheng Kun couldn't find even the slightest trace of himself despite the search by countless experts from the six major sects!"

Leng Yu immediately realized, "The six major sects have searched the entire area, but there's only one place they haven't searched. If Cheng Kun didn't run away at all, then he must be hiding in that place!"

"Bright Summit!"

Several days later.

The Ming Cult received another letter from the Four Great Constables.

"Is Cheng Kun hiding on Bright Summit?"

Yin Tianzheng frowned slightly: "It's possible, Ye Wang. Send someone to investigate immediately."

Yin Yewang quickly found out the results of his investigation: "Someone from Ruijin Banner saw an old monk a few days ago, but assumed he was from the Fengzi Sect, so they didn't pay much attention to him."

After I had him describe his appearance, I went to the Fengzi Sect to inquire, only to discover that this person was not a member of the Fengzi Sect at all; perhaps he was Cheng Kun!

"What? You mean the mastermind behind the scheme that led to the six major sects besieging my Ming Cult just walked into Bright Peak so brazenly, and no one noticed?!"

Yin Tianzheng was furious.

Yin Yewang said, "Father, as you know, the four gates of Heaven, Earth, Wind, and Thunder are Yang Zuoshi's private forces, and the Five Elements Flag and Yang Zuoshi are at odds, so it is normal that the two sides are not familiar with each other."

Besides, that monk arrived at Bright Peak several days ago, and we weren't even aware of the situation at the time. It's normal that our men were kept in the dark.

"Hmph!" Yin Tianzheng couldn't help but snort coldly: "What kind of mess has Yang Xiao made of the Ming Cult? They're all brothers from the main altar, yet they don't even recognize each other!"

Yang Xiao's position as the Left Guardian of Light ranks above the Four Great Dharma Kings and the Five Wanderers, second only to the leader.

Many years ago, he established his own forces, namely the four gates of Heaven, Earth, Wind, and Thunder. The Heaven gate only accepts men from the Central Plains, the Earth gate only accepts women, the Wind gate accepts Buddhist and Taoist monks, and the Thunder gate accepts foreigners from the Western Regions.

Therefore, the Five Elements Flags were not surprised to see the monk appear.

However, they did not discover that it was Cheng Kun. One reason was that the Five Elements Flag and Yang Xiao were at odds, so they did not have much contact with the Four Gates of Heaven, Earth, Wind and Thunder and were not familiar with their people.

On the other hand, it was because Cheng Kun himself escaped in time.

At that time, after leaving the camp of the alliance of the six major sects, he did not go anywhere else, but went straight to Bright Peak.

With his master-level cultivation, he silently bypassed the front-line defenses and penetrated deep into the rear.

If it hadn't been broad daylight and the Five Elements Flags weren't so widespread across the battlefield, there probably wouldn't have been anyone who saw him.

At that time, Yin Tianzheng was still looking at the letter sent by the Four Great Constables with the others, and had only just learned about this matter.

Those below naturally had no idea of ​​the monk's relationship with their Ming Cult.

Furthermore, the location we saw was behind the lines, so we didn't find it particularly strange.

Where is that monk now?

"This... apart from being seen once a few days ago, no one has seen him a second time since."

Yin Tianzheng frowned deeply: "Right now, he's surrounded by the six major sects on the east, south, and north sides. He can't escape even if he wanted to. Could it be that he fled to the Tang Kingdom from the west?"

"If that's the case, the people who transported resources from the west might have seen him."

"Hmm, go ask that Absinthe Bar guy."

Yin Yewang nodded, and then used the Heavenly Secret Token to contact Gongsun Da Niang.

"You guys are all such useless trash!"

Gongsun Da Niang sent a mocking message: "All the plans were going smoothly, and we even used the organization's power to get the imperial court involved and expose the truth, but in the end, Cheng Kun got away?"

Yin Yewang looked embarrassed and replied, "That's because the four great constables of the imperial court are too incompetent."

"Hehe, what if I told you that Cheng Kun didn't escape at all, and is still hiding in Bright Peak?"

"what?!"

"You haven't even noticed this much, yet you still want to lead the Ming Cult on behalf of the organization? Don't wait until the Ming Cult is handed over to you, only to have it completely ruined by you."

"Creak..." Yin Yewang gritted his teeth and asked, "Where is he now?"

"It's inside a secret passage!"

"Secret passages?"

Yin Yewang asked, "Father, is there a secret passage on Bright Peak?"

"A secret passage? Legend has it that there is one, but apart from the cult leader, no one knows its exact location. What's wrong?"

"Absinthe said that Cheng Kun not only didn't run away, but he's also hiding in the secret passage on Bright Peak!"

"what?!"

Yin Tianzheng said incredulously, "No one knows about that secret passage except the leader. Even I have only heard about it vaguely. Since the death of Leader Yang, no one in the entire Ming Cult knows about it. How could Cheng Kun have hidden in it?"

"But...but this is intelligence from the organization..."

"Um……"

Based on the information he learned from Yin Susu, coupled with their performance in helping the Ming Cult successfully defend against the six major sects and even launch a counterattack, Yin Tianzheng's trust in the organization had reached a certain level.

Therefore, although this information was hard to believe, he did not doubt it.

"If that's the case, then Cheng Kun is hidden in a secret passage that even I don't know where it is. How am I supposed to find him?"

Yin Tianzheng was in a dilemma.

Yin Yewang couldn't help but shift the question to Gongsun Da Niang.

Gongsun Da Niang replied, "You may not know where the secret passage is, but don't you know where the food is?"

This sentence immediately enlightened the two of them.

Yes!

Cheng Kun was ultimately only a Grandmaster, not an immortal, so he still needed to eat.

As long as we guard the kitchen on Bright Peak and control all food sources, we will surely be able to capture him!
"Forget it, your efficiency is too poor. I'll handle this for you."

"That's what Aunt Gongsun said."

"Then... thank you very much."

"I'm just worried that you won't be able to accomplish anything with your abilities, and that you'll ultimately ruin the organization's grand plan."

In fact, the fact that Cheng Kun actually hid in the secret passage of Bright Peak after escaping was unexpected not only by others, but also by Zhou Ming.

However, what surprised him was that Cheng Kun would hide here.

After all, Cheng Kun knew about the secret passage at Bright Peak, and Zhou Ming was also aware of it.

Cheng Kun once had a childhood sweetheart, a junior sister, but she married Yang Dingtian, the former leader of the Ming Cult.

Not long after Yang Dingtian's marriage, he became obsessed with cultivating the Ming Cult's highest secret technique, the "Great Shift of Heaven and Earth," and neglected his wife. Just then, Cheng Kun, unwilling to give up, came to find his junior sister.

The two had a deep childhood bond, but their unhappy married life led the junior sister to have an affair. As the leader's wife, she learned the location of the secret passage from Yang Dingtian and then informed Cheng Kun of it.

That's how Cheng Kun learned of the existence of the secret passage.

The two often met secretly in the secret passage.

But one day, during their secret rendezvous, the two encountered Yang Dingtian, who was diligently practicing the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth.

Yang Dingtian had just reached a crucial point in his cultivation when he suddenly realized that what was above his head was not the sky, but a hat. He was so enraged that he suffered a qi deviation and died.

Overwhelmed with shame and regret, the junior sister, in a fit of emotional turmoil, also committed suicide.

Cheng Kun was furious to see his beloved junior sister die with Yang Dingtian. After leaving Bright Peak, he went to his disciple Xie Xun's house.

The thought of his childhood sweetheart, his junior sister, being married off by Yang Dingtian, and now dying because of Yang Dingtian, coupled with the fact that his disciple was actually the Golden-Haired Lion King of the Ming Cult and Yang Dingtian's subordinate, enraged him so much that he killed Xie Xun's entire family.

Cheng Kun hated Yang Dingtian so much that he extended his hatred to the house and its inhabitants.

Even though Yang Dingtian was dead, his hatred could not be quelled, so he decided to wipe out the entire Ming Cult.

He then went on a killing spree, leaving behind the words "Killer: Golden Lion King Xie Xun" at the murder scenes, causing countless troubles for his disciples.

Because he was Xie Xun's master, and the two shared the same martial arts style, the martial arts community had no doubts about him. This led to numerous conflicts between Xie Xun and various factions in the martial arts world.

As the Golden Lion King of the Ming Cult, Xie Xun was naturally not ignored by the Ming Cult in such a situation, but they did their best to protect him.

This led to conflicts between the Ming Cult and countless other martial arts factions.

Xie Xun was driven nearly mad by the murder of his entire family. After failing to find Cheng Kun, he decided to follow in Cheng Kun's footsteps, killing people everywhere and leaving the words "Killer: Hunyuan Thunderbolt Hand Cheng Kun" at the murder scenes in an attempt to lure him out.

As a result, Cheng Kun hid even deeper, even becoming a monk and hiding inside the Shaolin Temple.

From then on, Cheng Kun, the Hunyuan Thunderbolt Hand, was no more in the martial arts world.

Although he secluded himself in Shaolin Temple and read Buddhist scriptures extensively, Cheng Kun's hatred did not diminish in the slightest.

Therefore, after Yin Susu submitted her plan, Zhou Ming calmly revised it and then gave Cheng Kun some pointers.

This led to the current siege by the six major sects.

As expected of the mastermind behind most of the martial arts world in the original novel, Cheng Kun was incredibly decisive and courageous when his identity was exposed, and he immediately fled.

Moreover, once they ran, they ran straight to the best hiding place right now.

That is, inside the secret passage of Bright Peak!

Zhou Ming had some suspicions about this.

What truly surprised Zhou Ming was that Cheng Kun didn't run away.

For several days, no one noticed him.

If he wanted to escape, he could have left from the west side of Bright Peak.

The towering mountains there could not stop a master.

However, Cheng Kun did not do that.

why?
Logically, he should have known that the situation was hopeless and that waiting for another opportunity would be the best option.

However, considering Cheng Kun's current age, Zhou Ming understood.

Xie Xun was only ten years old when he became a disciple, while Cheng Kun was already over twenty.

In the blink of an eye, decades have passed, and he is now over sixty, approaching seventy.

He had been hiding in the Shaolin Temple for more than ten years before finally getting this opportunity.

If he gives up, he might die of old age before the next opportunity comes along.

He had to consider whether this was the only opportunity he would ever have in his life.

Under these circumstances, Cheng Kun would not leave unless he had completely lost hope.

"This guy actually has some ideas."

Through the markings, Zhou Ming was able to see the new plan that Cheng Kun had come up with in the past few days.

He had already discerned Yin Tianzheng's strength within the Ming Cult and Yang Xiao's declining power, and wanted to use this as an excuse to incite infighting between the two.

If his plan succeeds, coupled with the six major sects currently besieging him from the outside, the Ming Cult may still face the danger of collapse.

Unfortunately, Zhou Ming would not allow this to happen.

So he sent a message directly to Granny Gongsun, instructing her to take action.

Here, Zhou Ming could actually tell Gongsun Da Niang the location of the secret passage directly.

However, he didn't do that.

What is the purpose of having subordinates?

He handles everything, so what's the point of having subordinates?

Gongsun Da Niang is, after all, the leader of the secret organization Red Shoes. If she can't even do this simple thing well, then she shouldn't be in this martial arts world.

Therefore, Zhou Ming only told her that Cheng Kun was in the secret passage and then let her handle it herself.

That night, Bright Summit was completely silent.

Cheng Kun, dressed in black and masked, arrived at the kitchen.

Ignoring the tempting aroma of the fish and meat, he went straight to the place where the dry rations were being dried and was about to start eating.

"Friend, why not take the delicious fish and meat instead of stealing these hard-to-swallow dry rations?"

A voice sounded.

Cheng Kun turned around and saw a burly figure appear behind him.

Dressed in Ming Cult attire, wielding a kitchen knife, and broad-shouldered and burly, he looked like a cook.

"Who are you?"

The cook bowed slightly: "Arslan, a personal guard of His Majesty the Yuan Emperor of the Great Yuan Kingdom, greets you. You must be Cheng Kun, the Hunyuan Thunderbolt Hand?"

"Mongolians? How come there are Mongols here?"

"It seems you've been hiding too well these past few days and are completely unaware of what's happening outside. Right now, rumors are flying that Cheng Kun, the Hunyuan Thunderbolt Hand, has colluded with the Mongols and is plotting against the major sects and the Ming Cult of the Ming Dynasty."

Ironically, almost the entire world knows about this, yet Your Excellency Cheng Kun remains completely unaware.

Cheng Kun frowned: "Could you explain?"

“Of course.” Arslan briefly explained the rumors circulating outside.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Kun couldn't help but snort coldly: "So, you're saying that it was you who brought the imperial court here and ruined my plans?!"

"I'm so sorry."

Arslan said, "We didn't expect the Ming Dynasty's intelligence capabilities to be so formidable that we've had to hide and avoid showing our faces these past few days."

"Then what brings you here today?"

“We are here to seek cooperation,” Arslan said. “Your goal is to destroy the Ming Cult, and that is also our goal. This is the best basis for our cooperation!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a series of hurried footsteps sounded nearby.

However, it was the Ming Cult's night patrol team that had patrolled the vicinity.

Arslan was startled and quickly took out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket, flicking it at Cheng Kun: "If you are interested in cooperating, you can go here to find my companions."

With that, he turned and left.

Cheng Kun hid in the darkness and waited until the patrol team had gone far away before continuing to steal dry rations.

Before leaving, he pondered for a moment, then finally picked up the crumpled paper and slipped away.

(End of this chapter)