The Hidden Danger Strategy

"Easy, easy. Councilman Zhu Meng, you know better than anyone what the Totem Serpent is capable of. Charging in with that kind of murderous intent will only bring worse trouble down on all of us. These matters need to be handled with patience." An elder Chief Adjudicator spoke with a calm smile.

"Spare me the platitudes — and don't think you'll be able to shield it again this time!" Zhu Meng's voice was iron.

"Shield it? Why would we shield it? The Totem Xuan Serpent has made this city its home for more generations than anyone can count. This territory belongs to it by right. I genuinely cannot understand what claim we have to drive it away." One of the elders — his allegiance to the Totem plain to see — bristled with indignation.

"That's *your* Totem. What does it have to do with the rest of us? What concerns me is whether this creature is going to go on a rampage." Zhu Meng matched him with equal force.

"I don't think you're worried about the Totem Xuan Serpent causing trouble at all. What you're actually worried about is that as long as it exists, your Hidden Danger Strategy can never be fully deployed — which means you can't rally enough supporters, which means you'll never become President of the Magic Court!" The old Totem Guardian jabbed his finger at Zhu Meng in accusation.

Zhu Meng looked at the goateed elder and, rather than growing angry, broke into a smile.

The goateed elder let out a cold snort. No one else at this table dared offend a Tribunal council member — but he, Luo Mian, was not one of them. He was a council member in his own right, and he would not stand by while Zhu Meng used the Totem Xuan Serpent as a stepping stone for his own ambitions.

"Get your facts straight, Councilman Luo Mian. It is the creature they worship that shed blood. If you believe I'm manufacturing this, then go calm the panic from a few days ago yourself. Go deal with the Hangzhou Giant Serpent incident that has the entire city in an uproar. By all means, walk out right now and tell the public you've been sheltering a serpent of this size — and see how they respond." Zhu Meng said.

Tang Yue, who had been quietly holding her post as the Totem's guardian, finally reached her limit. She stepped forward. "The Totem Xuan Serpent would never harm a person. On what grounds do you claim those two bodies were its doing?"

"Where did this girl come from? Who gave you permission to open your mouth here?" A court guard standing at Zhu Meng's side barked at her.

Zhu Meng, however, cast a glance at Tang Yue — and something shifted behind his eyes. He seemed to recognize her. He raised a hand and waved his guard captain off, as if to say the outburst wasn't worth his attention.

"Evidence. Everything requires evidence. Dragging out two corpses and pinning the blame on the Totem Xuan Serpent — doesn't that strike you as faintly absurd?" Tang Yue pressed on.

"Tang Yue, mind your manners. Stand down." Chief Adjudicator Tang Zhong rose to his feet, his gaze fixed steadily on Zhu Meng. "My niece isn't wrong — evidence is everything. With the Totem's capabilities, if it truly wanted to kill, there wouldn't be any bodies left to find. Why would it conveniently leave behind two decomposing corpses that sat undiscovered for a full week? Pinning that on our Totem is going too far."

"Quite right, quite right. This has only just happened — a thorough investigation is needed first." A voice from the middle of the room offered, eager to smooth things over.

"Investigations aren't my concern. My duty is to eliminate threats. The Serpent appeared openly in a crowded district — that alone is sufficient to place it at the top of the threat list. I'm giving you two days: either you hand over the Totem Xuan Serpent yourselves, or I'll act unilaterally." Zhu Meng held up three fingers, his posture utterly unyielding.

"You're completely unreasonable! Don't use that Hidden Danger Strategy of yours to manufacture charges against our Totem!" The goateed elder's face went red with fury.

"I am a council member. I hold the supreme enforcement authority to eliminate threats, granted jointly by the Magic Court and the Mingzhu Mage Tower. When I, Zhu Meng, say something is a threat — it is a threat." He had no more patience for these elders who would sooner die than abandon their Totem.

The Totem Xuan Serpent had shown itself in public. That alone constituted a danger. Two lives were already on the ledger, and citizens across the city were demanding answers from the authorities. By law and by public opinion alike, the Totem Xuan Serpent would not walk away from this unscathed.

Zhu Meng departed with his retinue of court guards, leaving behind a room full of people with nothing left to say.

Those who had remained neutral, or whose loyalties tilted toward the Magic Court and the Supreme Tribunal of the Mingzhu Mage Tower, rose one by one and quietly filed out.

The matter had been decided. Zhu Meng had come with both evidence and authority at his back. It seemed the Totem Xuan Serpent had little chance of weathering this storm.

The room gradually emptied until only five remained: Chief Adjudicator Tang Zhong, the goateed elder Luo Mian, the sharp-eyed Hei Yu with his cascading hair, Tang Yue, and Mo Fan.

"What a shame." Tang Zhong let out a heavy sigh. "We guarded it so carefully all these years, and still someone found a way to catch it out."

"What do we do now? Zhu Meng has made up his mind this time, and the law is on his side. Even if we appeal to a higher chamber, I doubt it would accomplish anything." Hei Yu said.

"Honestly, Zhu Meng is just throwing his weight around. Let him try to go after the Totem. If he genuinely had the power to take on the Totem Xuan Serpent, he would've acted long ago — why wait until now? He's been wary of its strength all along." Councilman Luo Mian stroked his beard.

"Councilman Luo, there's something you're not aware of." Tang Zhong's voice grew grave. "The Totem undergoes a Molting Season once every ten years. Its appearance in the city district was caused by the agitation that comes with this period approaching. During the Molting Season, its strength drops sharply."

"You're saying the Molting Season is almost here — within the next few days?" Luo Mian stiffened, a look of alarm crossing his face.

"Exactly."

"That's very bad. That Zhu Meng really knows how to pick his moment..."

"We suspect there's a traitor within the clan." Hei Yu's voice was low and measured.

Not everything was coincidence. The fact that Zhu Meng had dared speak so boldly today meant he had done his homework thoroughly. The traitor had almost certainly told him about the Molting Season.

"Tang Yue, I think you need to take the Totem away from here before he makes his move — find somewhere safe where it can pass through the Molting Season undisturbed." Tang Zhong said.

"Understood." Tang Yue gave a small nod.

"I'll escort Tang Yue and the Totem." Hei Yu volunteered.

Chief Adjudicator Tang Zhong shook his head. "The Totem is especially sensitive during the Molting Season. Any Commander-class creature, or any High-Level Mage, that comes within a twenty-kilometer radius of it will trigger its hostility. Tang Yue is the only person whose strength surpasses that threshold yet will not be treated as an enemy..."

As he said this, Tang Zhong's gaze drifted deliberately toward Mo Fan — no need to ask; he had already taken the measure of Mo Fan's cultivation. He continued, "This young man has not yet reached High-Level Mage. Staying close to the Totem shouldn't cause any issues."

"Him?" Hei Yu's objection was immediate. "You want to entrust something this important to an outsider? And what use is an Intermediate-Level Mage in a situation like this? Every one of Zhu Meng's court guards is a seasoned fighter."

"Hei Yu, you're looking at this the wrong way. This young man may yet prove to be a tremendous asset." Chief Adjudicator Tang Zhong said.

Mo Fan, listening from the side, hadn't the faintest idea what to make of any of it.