Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 263

The farce was just an appetizer. Wushuang Gui's strong physique was far inferior to Dian Qing's hard skills, but it was still an unstoppable mountain for the ordinary guards of the Xiang family.

Lu Wei didn't linger. After confirming that the signal he displayed had been received by Xiaoyaozi's accomplice, he immediately left with Ji Yan.

With Xiaoyaozi as our trump card and Ji Bu already on his way, everything is already decided, so there's no need to waste time here.

After preparing a room at the largest inn in the nearest town at the foot of the mountain, Lu Wei, who was drinking tea alone in a corner of the inn's lobby, waited for his target a little later.

The man in black robes of medium build looked like he had many secrets, but there were too many people with secrets in this world, and few people would bother with such matters.

People who meddle in other people's business usually don't live very long.

With a faint smile, he poured a cup of tea and invited the other person to sit down. The face under the cloak and hood looked up, and the thick eyebrows, like two ink-dipped brushes, were slightly gray: "These years in Lishan have indeed been difficult."

The visitor was Tian Guang.

The former leader of the knights-errant now bears more of the marks of time; his skin is tanned yellow by the sun and looks very weathered, but his face still displays a bold and unrestrained smile.

"So you're going to be acting alone from now on?" Facing his former boss who had mentored him, Lu Wei didn't feel the awkwardness of seven years apart and asked him the question he was concerned about in a natural tone.

“That’s right, we should use this identity.” Tian Guang was the same. He didn’t exchange any meaningless pleasantries. He simply raised his hand, which had become much rougher and harder from years of wear, and lifted the cloak to a suitable size: inside, a black metal mask was hanging diagonally.

"So it seems the mission location isn't the Mechanical City." Lu Wei's eyes swept across the entire inn's lobby, and he noticed that a few people were still secretly watching him. He then subtly gestured to Ji Yan on the second floor, who understood and went downstairs, then walked out of the inn without stopping.

Whether these people were Qin State spies or disciples of other forces, by arranging to silence these meddlesome individuals, he could be considered to have done a good deed for the martial arts world: cleaning up a bunch of people who didn't understand the rules of the martial arts world.

"The Mechanical City is too big a target, and there is no value in the Mechanical City that Luo Wang wants to seize. In contrast, while the martial arts world and the imperial court are mostly focused on the Mechanical City, Luo Wang can carry out its operations in other places without revealing its whereabouts."

Tian Guang chuckled and easily revealed the Luo Wang plan: "As far as I know, Luo Wang is making advance preparations against the wolf clan in the north and Jiaodong County. They want to plan the wolf clan's southward invasion and the secret investigation of the Mirage."

“It has nothing to do with farmers now.” After pondering for a moment, Lu Wei added, “But in the long run, the wolf clan is a potential threat.”

"The chaotic situation of the Wolf Clan is no better than that of the Central Plains before the Qin Dynasty unified China. Although their current Chanyu Touman has achieved initial unification of the Wolf Clan tribes with the support of the Luo Net, Touman himself is just a guy with limited abilities. If the Luo Net wants him dead, they can do it at any time."

Tian Guang valued Lu Wei's judgment, but he still shared his understanding of the wolf clan: As things stand, the wolf clan is merely a dog lured by Luo Wang with bones, and poses very little threat for the time being.

“If the Central Plains can produce a great ruler, the grasslands may not necessarily be unable to as well.” Lu Wei said calmly, “I know that Touman has a son named Maodun. You should find a way to eliminate him using the Net. At the same time, you should also exterminate all those in the Wolf Clan who have shown talent.”

The threat posed by the wolf pack can be significant, or it can be minor. Now that the Net has infiltrated the wolf pack so deeply, the easiest way is to simply behead their leader.

“My authority in the North is limited, but since Zhou Wen has been sent there, I will convey this order to him.”

Lu Wei seemed rather harsh towards the wolf clan, who had no direct hatred towards the farmers but were actually good partners in smuggling horses. However, Tian Guang did not ask any further questions: Tian Guang rarely looked down on a person or force, except for outsiders.

Lu Wei wanted to kill a few members of the wolf clan, even if one of them was the son of the wolf clan's chieftain, it wouldn't be a big deal.

Tian Guanglian and Lu Wei launched a massive purge of the Tian clan, to which he belonged, without intervening at all, let alone the wolf barbarians.

"Since the mirage is involved, the Confucian school must also be one of the targets. Has the Net revealed any intentions in this regard?" There are not many opportunities to see Tian Guang safely, so Lu Wei is not prepared to let go of any questions he can ask.

“There is a plan.” Tian Guang shook his head slightly: “But for now, it’s not really related to my current identity.”

It's normal for such a massive organization as Luo Wang not to disclose all its plans to a single subordinate. Lu Wei wasn't discouraged: "As long as the Confucian school exposes more of its power, Luo Wang will have to increase its stakes. It seems we'll have to meet again in Sanghai."

From this sentence, Tian Guang knew that Lu Wei and Fu Nian had a very close relationship. He was pleased with this and continued, "Over at Mount Tai, Luo Wang discovered that the Mo family seems to have plans there, so they are also preparing to get involved. After the matter of the Mechanical City is over, the Mo family's independence will probably decrease. This information will definitely be useful to you."

Tian Guang knew that Lu Wei had schemes against Gao Jianli, Dao Zhi, and Kuang Xiu, the leaders of the Mohist school. It was a coincidence that Lu Wei's plans from more than ten years ago could suddenly come in handy at this time. But in any case, this matter was beneficial to the Farmer School, so Tian Guang decisively helped Lu Wei by providing another clue.

"The Mohists' actions were so careless." Lu murmured, bowing his head slightly. "The Farmer School is definitely a more difficult opponent for the Net than the Mohists. Did Zhao Gao not plot against Daze Mountain?"

"The most difficult problems are always left to be solved last. You didn't expose any flaws and even subtly expressed your attitude that as soon as the Luo Wang (a powerful organization) moves, you will immediately increase your support for Fusu. Although Zhao Gao is angry, he can tell that Fusu is the real enemy."

Tian Guang smiled and said, "However, once Fusu is dealt with, the peasant family will face the most brutal blow. Your time is limited."

“If Luo Wang dared to use its own power to deal with Fusu, Fusu would already be dead.” Shaking his head, Lu Wei stood up, exchanged a glance with Tian Guang once more to confirm their mutual determination, nodded slightly, and left.

Tian Guang, left alone, sat for a while longer, twirling and playing with the teacup in his hand. He then smiled and drank the tea in one gulp, chewing and swallowing the tea leaves along with the tea leaves before leaving the inn.

The tea from this kind of small shop is usually not anything special, but Lu Wei had used this year's new tea that he had brought from Daze Mountain beforehand. The taste was so familiar; Tian Guang hadn't had it in many years...

Young Master Lu really has himself under control.

Chapter 308 Tianming Shaoyu

After meeting Tian Guang and learning the latest situation of the Luo Wang organization, Lu Wei returned to his room and began to think about revising his plan:

First, let's talk about the Mechanized City. There are many secrets in the Mechanized City, but the most important one is the gathering of the rebels from the six kingdoms.

Judging from the fact that the Unparalleled Ghost of Quicksand is dispatched as in the original work, the Empire has habitually chosen to cooperate with Quicksand.

Wei Zhuang should clearly be part of the remnants of the six states, and he had a secret agreement with Yan Dan and participated in Yan Dan's faked death, yet he still stands on the side of the empire at this time, which obviously indicates that he has other plans.

Regardless of Wei Zhuang and Yan Dan's plans, Dong Jun of the Yin Yang School had already arranged for the destruction of the Mechanized City. In addition to locking down the list and location of the remnants of the Six Kingdoms, his other mission was to find the Illusionary Sound Box in place of the Moon Goddess and prepare for the subsequent Sanghai operation to seize the Yin Yang School's Mirage.

However, due to the uncertainty of Wei Zhuang's attitude, if Lord Dongjun fails to control the situation, she may find herself alone in the Mechanical City, facing the alliance of six kingdoms. With Yan Fei's strength, if she were to fight against the Twin Swords of the Vertical and Horizontal Sects and other world-class masters such as Yan Dan and Xiaoyaozi, the only outcome would be certain death.

Whether Yan Fei lives or dies is no longer that important to Lu Wei, given that the Sun, Moon and Stars cannot attack the Eastern Emperor. However, the destruction of the Mechanized City and the severe damage to the remnants of the Six Kingdoms are in the best interests of the Farmer's Clan. From this perspective, he cannot let Yan Fei die meaninglessly.

Let her make her move first. If she makes a foolish move, Lu Wei, as the player holding the piece, will have to intervene.

As for the Mohist Taishan Plan that was exploited by the Luo Wang, with the Mohist school having lost the foundation of the Mechanical City and the remnants of the six states in dire straits, the Farmer School had many ways to take over the initiative against Qin and become the only hope for the anti-Qin movement!

If things proceed as expected—with the Yin-Yang School's Donghuang killed, the First Emperor dying suddenly, Huhai succeeding to the throne, and internal strife within the empire—there's no reason why the uprising shouldn't succeed.

Having confirmed the operation in the city, Lu Wei had just closed the window and was about to rest when there was a knock on the wooden door.

Ji Yan had dealt with the meddlesome person in the lobby on the first floor and came to report the situation.

Xiao Yan'er was very rational and did not follow the man in black who was talking to Lu Wei. Although the man's mysterious identity was indeed very tempting, her curiosity could not compare to her trust in Lu Wei.

Ji Yan painstakingly investigated the characters he had killed, but found no items on them that could directly prove their identities. However, two of them possessed certain characteristics that were not those of ordinary wandering knights. Their existence suggested that someone had ulterior motives regarding Gai Nie's defection.

As expected, after Lu Wei nodded to indicate that he understood, Xiao Yan'er did not leave after finishing her report. Instead, she took a small step up and, in the light of the small candle on the table, stood tall and proud with her hands behind her back, saying confidently:

“Brother Lu has Sister Xue Nu and Sister Rong with him every day in Daze Mountain. Now that the two sisters are not here, A Yan has also learned some techniques from them, which should be able to help Brother Lu.”

"Oh?" Lu Wei looked at Ji Yan's slender figure with some surprise. The latter simply hung the Jingni Sword on the wall and then turned around.

“Ayan has grown up. She’s not a child anymore and knows what she should do.”

Although her words were full of confidence, when she approached Lu Wei and faced his meaningful gaze, Xiao Yan'er, who had only temporarily studied the theory, still lowered her eyes slightly shyly. Judging from the beautiful lines of her body, Xiao Yan'er wasn't lying...

...

"Mount Daze? What's that?"

On the main road at the foot of the Taihang Mountains, Tianming, along with his uncle Gai Nie and his newly acquainted friend Shaoyu, sat in a carriage and asked curiously.

Yesterday, after unleashing his Hundred Steps Flying Sword technique to kill Wushuang Gui, who had forced Ji Bu back and was about to attack Tianming and Shaoyu, Gai Nie fainted again.

Because this action saved the young master of the Xiang clan, after learning Gai Nie's name, the Xiang clan, with Fan Zeng's approval, decided to retreat with the two of them.

Physician Xiang was unable to completely heal Gai Nie's injuries, but treating his wounds was not difficult.

Unexpectedly, Gai Nie, with his terrifyingly strong willpower, woke up the very next morning.

Xiang Shi admired Gai Nie for this, and immediately abandoned any regrets about the camp, retreating at any cost.

On the way, at Fan Zeng's request, Shao Yu rode in a carriage with his fun-loving new friend Tianming and Gai Nie.

When mentioning Gai Nie's injuries, Shao Yu casually said, "If we go to Daze Mountain, perhaps Mr. Gai's injuries can be healed quickly." This immediately made Tianming, whose eyes had widened, sensitive to the word Daze Mountain.

"You don't even know about Mount Daze, yet you dare to call yourself a great hero?" Shao Yu chuckled and shrugged. "Fine, let me, your older brother, explain it to you then."

"Daze Mountain is the residence of the Farmer Clan, which is the number one sect in the martial arts world. It is divided into six halls. The head of the Gonggong Hall is the most outstanding physician in the world, named Nian Duan. It is said that there is no one in the martial arts world that Head Nian Duan cannot save."

"Really? That sounds like bragging~" Feeling mocked for his lack of knowledge, Tianming retorted, "What number one sect in the martial arts world? Uncle's sect is the strongest!"

“Mr. Gai’s sect is indeed special, but compared to the Farmer’s School… never mind, you don’t know much about the martial world now, you’ll understand in the future.” Shao Yu crossed his arms, neither annoyed nor arguing in the face of the rebuttal. But this behavior only made Tianming angrier. He was about to say something when Gai Nie stopped him:

“Tianming, Shaoyu is right.” Gai Nie’s eyes were calm: “Physician Nian Duan is indeed worthy of being called the number one physician in the world, and the Farmer’s Clan’s power is worthy of being called the number one sect in the world.”

"Yes... Uncle." Tianming couldn't help but feel listless when his uncle spoke.

"See? You can learn if you don't understand! You can ask me about any of this martial arts knowledge you don't understand!" Shao Yu said proudly. At this moment, Fan Zeng's cough sounded outside the carriage, and his expression instantly froze. He had to suppress his pride: "Of course, with Mr. Gai here, you can ask him too!"

"Hmph, of course!" Tianming straightened his chest and glanced at the man, as if the man's strength was his own: "So, what are we going to do next? Go to that Daze Mountain?"

“No, we will go and meet up with our friends from the Mohist school.” Shao Yu said calmly, “Your uncle is a wanted criminal of the empire, as is our Xiang family. If we go to the Farmer’s School, we will definitely be stopped by those Qin lackeys on the way. It is safer in the Mohist school. We can rest there for now. After the situation stabilizes, I will ask the Farmer’s School’s experts to treat your uncle’s aftereffects.”

"Oh," Tianming nodded blankly. There were actually many things he didn't understand about what Shaoyu had just said.

However, since he had just been mocked by Shao Yu for his lack of knowledge, he was unwilling to ask those questions again. But there was one sentence that he felt he had caught Shao Yu in the act: "Once it's safe, I will go to that Physician Nian Duan to treat Uncle myself. I don't need you to get involved."

"Oh, you don't need it?" Shao Yu looked at Tianming, who was standing with his hands on his hips, shook his head and smiled: "Do you think Physician Nian Duan is a little dog that you can summon and dismiss at will, and have her treat whomever you want?"

“Even our Xiang family has to rely on our old relationship with the leader of the Farmer’s Clan to invite Physician Nian Duan to treat us. With your attitude now, you probably won’t even be able to get into Daze Mountain, let alone ask Physician Nian Duan to treat you?”

"Oh, right, I'll just tell you straight, the Farmer's Hero is the leader of the Farmer's Clan~"

"Tch, your Xiang clan can't even handle that guy who looks like a wild bear, yet you know the leader of the peasant clan? I don't think that peasant leader is anything special. Uncle killed that wild bear with a single sword strike!"

"Tianming, you must not be rude to senior figures in the martial arts world." Gai Nie looked at Tianming calmly. Under his gaze, Tianming decisively shut his mouth. As the young master of the Xiang Clan, Shao Yu had personally participated in the decisive battle between Qin and Chu, so he naturally wouldn't hold a grudge against a child. He leaned against the carriage wall with a smile on his lips and closed his eyes to rest.

The carriage finally quieted down, and Gai Nie calmly recalled the events of the previous day:

Wushuang Gui is one of Xiao Zhuang's men. The Empire asked Xiao Zhuang to take action in order to incite internal strife within the martial arts world.

Xiao Zhuang saw through this from the beginning, which is why he only sent Wushuang Gui to make a move. His purpose was to avoid dying on the way and to force the Xiang family to make a decision to withdraw.

Without a doubt, he was deliberately forced to bring Tianming to the Xiang family's territory. According to the child named Shaoyu, the Xiang family wanted to withdraw from the Mo family's mechanical city. So, the mechanical city was Xiaozhuang's goal, and probably also the Empire's goal.

If nothing unexpected happens, Xiao Zhuang will send out his opportune subordinates one by one to force the Mo family to take action, and finally expose the location of the Mechanized City!

Once the location of the Mechanical City is exposed, even the most powerful mechanical beasts will be powerless to stop its ultimate destruction in the face of a mighty empire.

Gai Nie, with his meticulous mind, quickly figured out the empire's plan and also guessed his junior brother Wei Zhuang's plan from Wushuang Gui's actions.

But merely guessing is useless; if he and the Xiang family want to survive, they have no choice but to follow the plan devised by Liu Sha.

Moreover, based on his understanding of his junior brother Wei Zhuang, Wei Zhuang would not be willing to become a lackey of the empire. While helping the empire find the Mechanized City, Wei Zhuang must have other plans.

"But the powerful aura I encountered yesterday far surpassed my own. That mysterious person must be someone outside of Xiao Zhuang's plans. I haven't sensed a similar figure within the Empire, and aside from reclusive masters in the martial world, the candidates are limited to a few."

Gai Nie was not anxious about being manipulated by others. As a disciple of Guigu, he understood that the more critical the situation, the calmer he needed to be.

Judging from yesterday's events, I don't think I'll encounter any fatal danger before reaching the Mechanical City. This relatively safe period is my chance to recover from my injuries and find a way to break the deadlock.

As long as he has a sword in hand and his injuries can heal, Gai Nie is confident that no matter how great the danger, he can escape with Tianming.

Chapter 309 Entering the Mechanized City

After handing over the corpse of Wushuang Gui to Gongshu Chou, who had come from Sanghai, Wei Zhuang, without any hesitation, headed south without looking back.

There was still a small problem with the power system at Sanghai Mirage, but when Gongshu Chou learned that the Empire was preparing to destroy the Mechanical City, he rushed over without stopping.