Chapter 268: The Storm Is Brewing [2500 words]

"Fortunately, my lord is quick-witted. Otherwise, if Zhao Feng had spread this matter, Qin Li, with his intelligence, would probably have guessed some of the truth and would have certainly brought about his death." A hint of killing intent flashed in Gu Chi's eyes. "If it's just the 'Qi Absorption Method,' then it's fine."

Although the "Qi Absorption Method" is quite eye-catching, it has a high threshold—it requires talent as high as that of Tanuki, which alone can filter out 99% of the candidates—making it a completely tasteless and useless thing.

Shen Tang sighed, "One should always be wary of others."

Zhao Feng was, after all, Wu Xian's man.

Ostensibly, he came to repay a debt of gratitude, but that didn't stop him from keeping an eye on Shen Tang as Wu Xian's informant. Fortunately, he didn't have any secrets to hide; as long as he kept the existence of the Imperial Seal a secret, he could rest easy. Zhao Feng and his thousand-plus private retainers were key to their takeover of He Yin (free labor); it would be a waste not to make good use of them.

Gu Chi cautioned, "We must not let our guard down."

Shen Tang chuckled: "Of course."

As for Bai Su—

Gu Chi asked Shen Tang what arrangements she planned to make.

Shen Tang looked confused: "What do you mean, how should it be arranged?"

Gu Chi said, "Since Lin Feng, as a woman, can absorb the energy of heaven and earth to refine it into literary energy, then—has my lord considered that Bai Su could also absorb the energy of heaven and earth to condense her dantian and form martial courage? Although Bai Su is an ordinary person, her martial arts are quite good. She has been a thief for many years and has only now been forced into a desperate situation, which shows that her martial arts talent is not weak. If she could be like Li Li..."

Shen Tang's disadvantages are obvious, but her advantages are also very clear.

In that case, why not play to our strengths and avoid our weaknesses?

If Bai Su could, like Li Li, condense her first wisp of martial energy at such a young age, even if she couldn't reach the pinnacle, cultivating to the level of a seventh-rank official or an eighth-rank general would allow her to serve as a lieutenant general on the battlefield, achieving great deeds. She would be a ready-made "horse bone"!

If a dead horse can be bought for five hundred gold pieces, how much more so a live horse?

but--

It's a bit too early to say these things now.

Shen Tang said, "How about we adopt more young girls in the future?"

Loyalty is something that's easier to cultivate and nurture when someone is young and their values ​​are still developing. Even without Gu Chi mentioning it, Shen Tang and the others were already prepared for this. However, Gu Chi still corrected Shen Tang's "mistake."

He said, "My lord, you are mistaken—we should adopt more talented, gifted, and perceptive young girls!"

That's all the resources we have at the moment.

It's not that Gu Chi is stingy or cold-hearted; it's just that feeding the current population is already a struggle, requiring Shen Tang to exhaust seventy or eighty percent of his literary energy each day just to keep them from starving. Ten days or half a month is manageable, but over time, it might damage the foundation. Where would they find the extra money and resources to nurture ordinary people who don't offer enough returns? The future is uncertain, but now is not an option—without potential, there's no value in nurturing them.

Shen Tang did not refute this, but took the initiative to change the subject and shift the focus to Bai Su: "I will have to trouble Wang Chao to sound out Bai Su and see if there are any problems with her. If there are no problems and she is willing to be loyal to me, then we can use her with peace of mind."

Unless deliberately manipulated, a person's true feelings don't lie. Simply put, someone who passes Gu Chi's test may not be usable, but someone who fails definitely shouldn't be used. Even if someone is reluctantly used, it's using their talent but not their character.

Can--

As an ordinary person, Bai Su has gathered so much intelligence; who can say she lacks talent? If she could truly possess martial prowess, she would be even more formidable. Even if she couldn't directly confront the enemy, she could still play a valuable role by leading cavalrymen to scout enemy positions.

Gu Chi bowed and accepted the order.

Shen Tang rubbed his temples.

Looking at the bright moon in the sky, she muttered to herself. She wondered how Wu Xian and Gu Ren were doing—if they could secure her a "legitimate" right to take over as the governor of He Yin, she would be able to occupy the "moral high ground."

Being morally blackmailed is unpleasant, but, hehe, the feeling of morally blackmailing others is quite wonderful. Especially with He Yin and his gang of chaotic demons, conventional methods cannot be used to deal with them; violence must be used to combat violence, and evil to combat evil—the best strategy.

Even in her dreams, Shen Tang still thought about this matter.

"Ah Qiu——"

Wu Xian sneezed loudly. While working on documents by the light of an oil lamp, he took out a handkerchief and blew his nose, wondering if he had caught a cold. Why was he sneezing so much tonight? Or was someone badmouthing him behind his back?

At this moment, Qin Li outside the tent requested an audience.

He hurriedly stood up: "Qin Qing, come in quickly."

Qin Li entered the tent, and Wu Xian asked anxiously, "What's the situation?"

Seeing Qin Li's solemn expression, Wu Xian's heart skipped a beat. He stared nervously at Qin Li's lips, afraid of hearing bad news from him. Lord Shen had left ahead of time, leading his troops to He Yin, and the allied forces had also completely wiped out the rebel army of the Pig King within the territory of Sibao County. Although they hadn't obtained the Imperial Seal, the merit of defeating the rebels was enough to make them quite well-off.

At this time, King Zheng Qiao delivered a decree.

Xuanlian's allied forces went to the palace to receive their titles.

This news excited everyone, but it also made them uneasy—they worried that Zheng Qiao might go back on his word and take advantage of the occasion to receive the investiture to wipe them all out. Honestly, given Zheng Qiao's tarnished reputation, this suspicion wasn't entirely impossible.

Wu Xian, the leader of the alliance, was the most worried.

Because Zheng Qiao's palace had been moved to Ganzhou, which borders Lingzhou, and occupied Qushan County, which is not far from Sibao County, disobeying the imperial decree at this time would be tantamount to courting death. From the day he received the decree, Alliance Leader Wu Xian's eyelids had been twitching non-stop.

Upon arriving at Qushan County, where the imperial palace was located, the entire army was intercepted, with at most a few hundred elite soldiers allowed to be taken outside the palace to receive rewards.

Alliance Leader Wu Xian wanted to find an excuse to avoid the situation.

only--

In the end, Qin Li persuaded him to give up the idea.

To run away at this time would be tantamount to telling Zheng Qiao that they have a guilty conscience, which is no different from courting death. If they take the initiative to see Zheng Qiao, they will be open and honest. No matter how bad Zheng Qiao's temper is, he will not be able to take it out on them. At most, he will try to cheat them on the reward, but their lives will not be in danger.

In situations like this, it's a matter of who can stay calm.

Wu Xian smiled bitterly to himself, beginning to envy Shen Tang.

Shen Tang had already fled with his men long ago.

Although He Yin's place was also a poor and remote place with many wicked people, it was easier to deal with than Zheng Qiao, and Zheng Qiao did not have a large army under his command.

Upon arriving outside the palace, Qin Li went out to visit a friend.

The purpose of the visit was actually to gather information—to see what Zheng Qiao was feeling lately and what his attitude was toward the Allied Forces. If Zheng Qiao really had murderous intentions, they would have to flee for their lives overnight, regardless of the consequences. If he didn't have any murderous intentions, they could take the opportunity to win over some people.

If someone in the court speaks well of Wu Xian, it will be beneficial for his future development. Because the literary circle is not large, especially for a top figure like Qin Li who has friends all over the world, he actually managed to find out some things.

The news they brought back wasn't too bad.

Qin Li's solemn expression softened.

He said, "My lord, rest assured, the news isn't bad."

With these words, Wu Xian was completely relieved.

"Qin Qing, sit down and let's talk in detail."

Qin Li rushed back as soon as he received the news, without even having a sip of tea. He took a sip of tea to moisten his dry, parched throat and said, "A scholar named Yan An, courtesy name Xingning, has appeared by Zheng Qiao's side."

Upon hearing the familiar name, Wu Xian was taken aback.

"Yan'an? Didn't he refuse to serve in the government?"

Speaking of this banquet in Xingning, Wu Xian felt a lot of grievances.

He heard that a great sage lived in seclusion somewhere, so he prepared generous gifts and eagerly went to invite him to come out of seclusion. This man was Yan An, also known as Yan Xingning. No matter how Wu Xian tried to get close to him, how he catered to his preferences, or how he treated him with respect, Yan An remained unmoved and hard-hearted. Annoyed, Wu Xian dismissed him by saying that his mourning period was not yet over.

Wu Xian was disappointed for quite a while because of this.

What you can't have is always the unattainable ideal.

He says things like "It's my fortune to gain it, and my fate to lose it," and "I won't force things that aren't meant to be," but inside he's seething with resentment. What's wrong with Wu Xian? He has status, fame, manpower, a high salary, and he never freeloads!

I can't even imagine someone generating electricity for me out of love.

Why does Yan An look down on him?!

Upon hearing the news of the banquet, he was surprised to learn that this fellow had actually taken up a post in Zheng Qiao's court.

On what grounds?

Why?

He was deeply shocked and completely baffled.

Qin Li, unaware of his lord's past entanglement with Yan An, said, "According to sources, Yan An is Zheng Qiao's senior fellow disciple; the two have known each other since childhood. Since Yan An left the mountain, although Zheng Qiao's behavior remains violent, he has become much more restrained than before. This time—"

Before he could finish speaking, Wu Xian's voice suddenly rose.

He interrupted, "You mean—they are fellow disciples???"

Goodness, really goodness.

He finally understood why Yan An's expression was always so strange when he went to ask Yan An to come out of retirement, with a restrained look as if he wanted to sack him. It turned out that he had always been teetering on the edge of Yan An's explosion.

_(:3」∠)_

I'll go out and pick up a package first.

(End of this chapter)