Chapter 255 - Shadows
Hao Xuan woke up the next morning feeling completely refreshed and energized. He felt even better than before. His arms and legs that seemed so heavy last night were as light as feathers.
"Haha, this is a good feeling..." he mumbled while clenching his fists that made cracking sounds.
Without wasting any more time he walked up to the clump of tentacles and patted it, revealing Jiang Ling's head.
"Did you decide yet?"
There were faint circles under Jiang Ling's eyes which showed he hadn't been able to get any sleep, and who could blame him.
He looked up at Hao Xuan, staring back at him coldly.
"I know nothing of importance. Holding me hostage will not get you anything other than closer to death."
"If you know nothing of importance than why keep your mouth shut? Just speak and get this over with."
Jiang Ling didn't contemplate Hao Xuan's offer for too long though, soon he bobbed his head up and down with a defeated look.
"Make that promise and we have a deal."
The promise he was referring to was a type of temporary soul contract where people willingly offered up some conditions by putting their souls on the line.
"Sure!"
With a bright smile etched on his face Hao Xuan and made the oath.
"As long as you tell me the whole truth without hiding anything, I will do the same and let you go at the end. And you have to promise not to come after me for that as well."
Jiang Ling's brow shot up in surprise upon seeing the miniature orb of blue light come out of Hao Xuan's body. He didn't think it would so simple.
"I promise," an earthy golden orb of light came out of his chest and tangled with Hao Xuan's orb before going back inside. Hao Xuan nodded his head in satisfaction upon feeling the strong connection between him and Jiang Ling. If he lied, Hao Xuan would know instantly.
"Alright. Now, tell me everything you know about the current situation."
There were still thoughts of deceit in Jiang Ling's mind but he quickly brushed them aside.
"A few years ago someone approached my brother. An outsider. He told him that within a decade he would be able to help him take over the Kingdom of Mei, and in exchange, he would need his loyalty. He said he would be able to give him everything he needed, and to a point he was right."
Hao Xuan frowned, "Everything he needed? What could the crown prince of a kingdom need?"
Jiang Ling let out a despondent smile, "Power, personal and as a ruler. Even in our kingdom, there were parties that did not want war. They just wanted to live peacefully like the others, which is why until now there had never been a war that the Jia wholly participated in."
"The Outsider made that happen. Everyone who was against the war soon changed their minds, for whatever reason. And then the outsider helped my brother purify his bloodline, bringing him ever so close to the might of the ancestors."
"Right now, he is the only person that has achieved such a level of bloodline purity. His powers have grown strong enough that not many people can even afford to speak up against him now. But.."
"But what?"
Jiang Ling shook his head with an empty, despondent expression, "But...the power has changed him. So much so that sometimes I don't even recognize who he is anymore. We were born a few minutes apart, sharing a womb since inception. There is no one else who knows him better than I do, but now I don't even see him in there anymore. He is just a hollow shell of his old self."
The sadness and despair in his eyes were real. Currently, their souls were connected so Hao Xuan knew it was the truth, or what he believed to be the truth.
"Who is this outsider? Have you seen him yourself?"
"Her."
"Her?"
"The outsider is a woman. I haven't seen her face but she is a human female. That's all I know."
"Hmm..." rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Everything Jiang Ling just said sounded extremely familiar to Hao Xuan. It was probably the same party behind the Jia that was slowly manipulating things in Mei.
Of course in Mei things were much more complicated. For whatever reason, the Mei Clan had decided not to partake in the running of the empire. Everything was handled collectively by the military and the government.
At this point, the Mei clan was just a powerless figurehead.
"I've been trying to find alternatives, to give my brother another way to achieve his goals but nothing has worked. That time I targeted the people of Gao was for the same reason (the arc from Ch 49). I had hoped to strike a deal with their prince and come to a peaceful resolution, alas that was not how it ended."
Hao Xuan ordered Fortis to release him soon after, after adding in the condition that he wouldn't attack him.
They talked for quite some time. Jiang Ling hid nothing and told him everything he knew, which to be fair wasn't much.
He was sidelined by his brother and had no actual power or any sensitive information regarding military tactics and whatnot.
Hao Xuan felt the sincerity in his voice and decided to tell him about the so-called "darkness" and the "Corrupted ones". Jiang Ling's countenance worsened after listening to his explanation.
It was quite obvious there was something else going on in the shadows so having someone on the other side wasn't a bad thing.
The duo had come to an unlikely conclusion, that they needed each other. Neither of them wanted any bloodshed or war so it was the correct choice.
Jiang Ling peered outwards, "Go, my men are close by. I fear my brother has left a few informants among them so I can't tell them to stop looking for you, it would be too strange. All I can do is send them another way."
Hao Xuan gave him a spirit band that was modified by Baracus and bade his farewell. He was taken aback by the generous offer and decided to take it.
"Keep me informed of any new developments. If it is how I think it is, then we need to put a stop to this... "war" as soon as possible.. Trust no one," Hao Xuan gave a final piece of advice before walking out into the still ongoing blizzard.