Chapter 18: The Strategic Mind

  Two weeks had passed since the Su family's caravan met disaster, and despite their determined investigation, no meaningful leads had emerged. News of the misfortune had spread like wildfire throughout Oakwood City, becoming the bitter flavor of every conversation.

  In the bustling teahouses, merchants whispered about the collapse of trade security. In the markets, commoners gossiped about the "falling dragon" that was the Su family. The family's reputation, built over generations of dominance, had suffered a blow that rippled through every level of society.

  During these dark days, Su Tianhao frequented the library daily. He hoped to find Uncle Yuan and offer what comfort he could, but the Fifth Elder was conspicuously absent. Instead, Su Mei—Uncle Yuan's daughter—often appeared in his place, representing her father's interests while he navigated the crisis. The two had spent their sessions studying together, their bond deepening through shared intellectual pursuits.

  On this particular morning, however, Su Tianhao was pleasantly surprised to find a familiar, scholarly figure at a table buried under a mountain of scrolls.

  "Uncle Yuan!" Su Tianhao exclaimed with delight.

  Su Yuan looked up, his face brightening for a fleeting second. "Little Tian, you're here."

  Su Tianhao's smile vanished as he saw the dark circles under his uncle's eyes. "Uncle, you look like you haven't slept in days!" His worry was genuine. Despite the short time since his adoption, he had come to regard Su Yuan and Su Mei as his true family.

  Su Yuan attempted a weary smile. "I'm fine, little Tian. Don't worry about adult concerns. What are you looking for today?"

  "You're definitely not fine!" Su Tianhao shook his head, moving closer. "Is this about the bandits? I heard from Senior Sister Mei that the investigation has hit a wall."

  Su Yuan's facade crumbled with a bitter laugh. "I should have known Mei'er would tell you. I asked her to keep this private, but her tongue is as sharp as her sword."

  Su Tianhao waved his hand dismissively. "That's not the point. Tell me—what is the actual progress?"

  Su Yuan hesitated, then sighed, defeated by the boy's piercing golden gaze. "It's terrible. The bandits have vanished. It's as though they are ghosts. The only conclusion is that this is a deliberate, planned attack—but we are missing the crucial piece of the puzzle."

  Su Tianhao's hand moved to his chin, his finger tapping in a rhythmic gesture that indicated deep focus. He remained motionless for several minutes, his eyes distant.

  Suddenly, his gaze snapped back to clarity. "Uncle Yuan, according to your original plan, you had the caravan take an alternative route to avoid trouble, correct?"

  "Yes. Why?"

  "Who, besides the Family Council, knew about that specific route on that day?"

  Su Yuan pondered for a moment. "Only the Council, the driver Lao Fu, and Captain Liu knew."

  Su Tianhao pressed his fist into his palm with a sharp thwack. "Exactly! That's the piece the Council is ignoring. There is a traitor in our ranks—someone feeding the bandits live intelligence."

  Su Yuan's eyes widened. "You mean—"

  "Think about it," Su Tianhao pressed, his confidence surging. "The bandits didn't just stumble upon that 'safe' road. They were positioned in a perfect ambush. Only the Council, Driver Fu, and Captain Liu knew the route. The traitor must be one of them."

  Su Yuan stared at his nephew. The logic was cold, surgical, and undeniable. "This... this makes perfect sense. But we can't make blind accusations. If we point fingers at the Elders or a senior guard like Captain Liu without concrete proof, the family will tear itself apart from the inside."

  Su Tianhao's expression shifted into a mysterious smile—one that looked far too calculated for a nine-year-old.

  "What are you thinking, Little Tian?" Su Yuan asked, a chill of anticipation running down his spine.

  "How about we organize one final shipment?" Su Tianhao suggested with a mischievous glint in his golden eyes. "And," he pressed on, "we make it the largest one yet."

  "A shipment? As bait?" Su Yuan's brows furrowed.

  "Not just bait," Su Tianhao explained, his tone shifting into one of scholarly precision. "Here is the plan: We coordinate with Father to send three separate caravans under the cover of darkness. Each will depart at different times and follow completely different paths—routes we've never used before."

  Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

  He leaned over the table, his voice dropping. "The Council will be told about only one of these caravans. Captain Liu will be given the details for the second. And Driver Fu will be told only of the third."

  Su Yuan's breathing quickened, his scholarly mind racing through the idea.

  "We'll have trusted experts secretly shadowing each one," Su Tianhao continued. "Father shadows one, you monitor another, and we find a third reliable expert for the last. Whichever caravan is attacked identifies our traitor instantly. The expert can then wipe out the bandits on the spot. We solve the mystery, eliminate the threat, and actually deliver the three caravans of goods all in one stroke."

  Su Yuan sat in stunned silence. The strategy was elegant, ruthless, and sophisticated.

  "False Information, True Results!" Su Yuan whispered, then threw back his head and laughed. "Hahahaha! Little Tian, you are a genius!"

  Su Tianhao smiled modestly. "You're too kind, Uncle."

  "Wait!" Su Yuan stood up, knocking his chair back. "I must report this to the Patriarch immediately!"

  Before Su Tianhao could respond, Su Yuan's figure blurred. He vanished from the library with a speed that left the boy's eyes struggling to track him.

  ---

  Su Yuan reached the third floor of the main residence in a blur, past startled servants, and pounded on the ornate door carved with dragons and phoenixes.

  Bam! Bam! Bam!

  "It's Su Yuan!"

  "Fifth Elder?" Su Huiqing's shocked voice came from within. "Come in."

  Su Yuan burst into the apartment, finding the Patriarch seated in an elegant high-backed chair. After a brief bow, he didn't waste a second.

  "Patriarch, I have a strategy that I am confident will end this crisis!"

  Su Huiqing's eyes widened with hope. "Tell me everything."

  Su Yuan nodded and laid out Su Tianhao's plan in meticulous detail, watching the Patriarch's eyes shift from weariness to a cold, predatory light.

  "So, a traitor," Su Huiqing mused. "The 'False Information, True Results' approach is perfect. The cost for three caravans is high, but if it ends this threat, I will fund the extra shipments from my personal treasury. The goods won't go to waste anyway."

  "Since the Council will only know of one caravan, the other two must be kept off the books," Su Yuan noted.

  "Agreed," Su Huiqing said. "But how do we handle the monitoring? We need someone we can trust completely for the third route."

  Su Yuan nodded. "Third Elder Su Minghe. He has always been a man of iron-clad justice. There is no possibility he is involved."

  "Good. You shadow the Council's caravan, I will follow Driver Fu's, and Su Minghe will watch Captain Liu's." Su Huiqing's laughter returned, hearty and resonant. "Fifth Elder, you truly are the brain of this family."

  Su Yuan raised a hand, a proud smile on his face. "Patriarch, I cannot take credit for this. I am not the architect."

  "What?" Su Huiqing blinked. "Then who devised this?"

  "It was Little Tian," Su Yuan replied.

  "Su Tianhao?!" The Patriarch stood up, his shock absolute. The idea that his nine-year-old adopted son had just designed a triple-blind sting operation was almost impossible to grasp. Yet, as he looked at Su Yuan's face, he knew it was the truth.

  He sat back down, viewing his adopted son in an entirely new, and much more dangerous, light.

  ---

  In the Su family's grand council hall, lantern flames flickered against polished wood and carved jade, casting dancing shadows across the faces of five elders. The air crackled with distinct tension—each elder sensed that tonight would bring the decisive action they had craved for days.

  "You called for this emergency meeting, Fifth Elder," Su Liang said, leaning forward. "What intelligence do you have for us?"

  All eyes turned toward Su Yuan. He sat with the composed bearing of a scholar, letting the silence build until the weight of it was palpable.

  "Two weeks have passed since the disaster," Su Yuan began, his voice measured. "We have no leads. No reports of activity. Our warehouses are emptying, and our competitors circle like vultures. The time has come to admit that our standard strategy has failed."

  "Stop speaking in riddles, Yuan!" Su Minghe demanded with characteristic heat. "If you have a plan, present it!"

  "Very well," Su Yuan replied, his voice dropping. "Based on my analysis, I have reached a singular conclusion: There is a traitor within the Su family—someone providing the bandits with live intelligence."

  The revelation struck like a hammer shattering glass.

  "A traitor?" Su Liang's voice cracked. "In the Su family?"

  "It explains why every safe route becomes a killing field!" Su Yuntian added, her eyes narrowing with frost-like chill.

  "Whom do you suspect?" Su Qingfeng asked, his fingers trembling against his long white beard.

  "Logic points toward Driver Fu and Captain Liu," Su Yuan stated flatly. "They were the only individuals outside this council who knew the alternative route used in the last expedition."

  "The driver? The Captain?" Su Minghe's face reddened with fury. "How dare they betray the hand that feeds them!"

  "It remains a theory," Su Yuan cautioned, raising a hand. "We cannot confront them directly yet. If we are wrong, we create a climate of fear that will destroy the family from within. Instead, we set a trap."

  Su Huiqing, who had been listening with feigned curiosity, finally spoke. "What is the plan, Fifth Elder?"

  Su Yuan leaned over the mahogany table. "We send a new caravan to Windfall City using the Northern Passage. It is narrow, isolated, and a perfect location for an ambush. The caravan will depart under the cover of the Hour of the Tiger. We tell only the two suspects the details. One of us will shadow the caravan from the shadows. If it is attacked, we have our proof—and our hidden expert will eliminate the threat on the spot."

  The Council nodded in unison. Although there were some holes in it, what other choice did they have? It was elegant and simple. It was the version of the plan Su Yuan needed them to believe to protect the true triple?blind sting designed by Su Tianhao

  "I will take personal responsibility for monitoring the operation from the shadows," Su Yuan declared.

  "Excellent," Su Huiqing announced. "The caravan departs tonight. This session is dismissed."

  As the elders filed out, their faces set in grim anticipation, Su Yuan intercepted Su Minghe. "Third Elder! A word in private. There are... additional aspects of this plan that require a warrior of your caliber."

  ---

  Night claimed Oakwood City. A pale crescent moon hung like a silver sickle against the star-scattered sky, painting the rooftops in ivory and shadow.

  It was the Hour of the Tiger—the ancient timekeeping name for the hours between 3 and 5 in the morning, that liminal time when the stars fade but the dawn is still a distant promise.

  Before the estate gates, a small caravan stood ready. This was the first phase. On the driver's bench sat a disheveled man with a wine gourd; behind him, nine guards stood at attention. At their head was a man who stood a head taller than the rest, gripping a heavy halberd.

  Wei Kang. 1st Level Martial Soul Realm expert and Vice Captain of the Su family guards.

  "Vice Captain Wei," Su Yuan addressed him. "Command this expedition. Do not fear the shadows—I will be following at a distance to ensure your safety."

  The guards exhaled in visible relief. To them, this mission felt like a death sentence. But knowing a Peak stage Martial Soul Realm expert like Su Yuan was their guardian changed everything.

  "Rest assured, Fifth Elder," Wei Kang said, his voice filled with determination. "I will definitely complete this mission."

  "You may depart," Su Yuan commanded.

  The wagon rolled into the darkness, its wheels muffled by the dusty road. Su Yuan watched them go, a hint of admiration in his eyes. "If his cultivation were higher, he would be a Captain in his own right."

  Whoosh! Whoosh!

  Two figures materialized behind him like phantoms. One in crimson, one in deep blue.

  "Patriarch. Third Elder," Su Yuan acknowledged without turning.

  "The Council's caravan has left," Su Yuan reported. "I will follow now. The next caravan departs in precisely thirty minutes."

  "Understood," Su Minghe growled, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "The Patriarch will follow Driver Fu's expedition next. I will take Captain Liu's. Let not a single bandit escape our justice."

  "Good fortune, Fifth Elder," Su Huiqing said, a cold, predatory smile touching his lips.

  Su Yuan nodded, his figure blurring and vanishing toward the rooftops.

  "Su Tianhao's mind is a gift from the heavens," Su Minghe observed with mounting excitement. "I genuinely hope the bandits choose my path. I am eager to show them the price of going against the Su family."

  "Little Tian continues to exceed every expectation," Su Huiqing replied with a low, proud laugh.

  The two men walked back into the darkness of the compound, ready to execute the most sophisticated trap the Su family had ever laid in this bandit crisis. The time for hesitation was over. The hunt had begun.