Langcheng, inside Lingfang Pavilion.
Shen Zhao, now disguised as a wandering immortal, stood quietly in the hall, gently waving her feather fan as she waited for Zhang Huan and Duan Jiong to arrive.
Zhang Huai'an, who was standing to the side, looked at Shen Zhao with a gaze that had changed from initial shock to terror.
The land of Shu had become completely out of control because of his arrival; the muddy waters had become even more turbid under Shen Zhao's stirring.
"Deputy Commander Zhang, aren't you going back to be with the Princess and the Queen?"
"Uh...that..."
"Don't ask. I won't give you the answer you want. Get out of here."
Zhang Huai'an pursed his lips, but in the end, he said nothing and quietly retreated to the back hall.
Not long after the two left, Zhang Huan and Duan Jiong entered the hall.
The two exchanged a glance, looking at Ren Piaomiao with a hint of doubt on their faces.
"Please have a seat, gentlemen."
Shen Zhao waved his feather fan, inviting the two to sit down, and spoke directly without waiting for them to speak.
"Don't doubt it. If you know the name Po Jun Mansion, the person standing in front of you now is the one you've been thinking of."
Zhang Huan and Duan Jiong's eyes lit up immediately, their thoughts confirmed, and they stood up to pay their respects.
But Shen Zhao immediately stopped him: "No need for formalities. Some things are better left unsaid."
Zhang Huan was overwhelmed with excitement and asked in a trembling voice, "My lord, have we finally found you?"
Shen Zhao nodded slightly.
Duan Jiong immediately slapped his thigh: "That's great, that's really great."
Shen Zhao smiled and said, "Let's talk about polite things later. Right now, I want to know everything about Shu, especially the troop deployment. The more detailed the better."
"yes!"
Zhang Huan responded and immediately informed Shen Zhao in detail about the troop deployments in various parts of Shu Commandery.
Duan Jiong, who was standing nearby, also filled in the gaps that Zhang Huan had missed.
After the two finished speaking, Zhang Huan sighed, "For over a thousand years, the people of Shu have truly been treated like pigs and dogs under the rule of the Xu family."
"When we returned, we intended to immediately go and seek refuge with our lord, but firstly, Xu Rong was keeping a close watch on us, making it difficult to set off; secondly, we were afraid that it would be too abrupt to meet our lord rashly, so we quietly waited for an opportunity."
Duan Jiong: "We are extremely excited that our lord has taken the initiative to appear in Shu."
Shen Zhao smiled slightly: "As I said, you can express your polite words freely afterward."
Now I want to know what kind of relationship exists between the Great Wilderness, Western Liang, and Western Shu.
Zhang Huan: "Dong Zhongying of the Western Liang Royal Palace, a cultivator at the third rank of Great Emperor, is a sworn brother of Xu Rong."
Dong Zhongying maintained important trade relations with the nobles of the Great Wilderness Royal Court.
"Um……"
Zhang Huan's answer was concise and clear, explaining the complex relationship between the three parties in just a few words.
"So, the Xu family is keeping a bandit in order to enhance their own power?"
Zhang Huan didn't speak, but simply nodded, which was taken as tacit agreement.
The reason why the Great Wilderness repeatedly and inexplicably invades the borders of the Holy Domain is inseparable from the Xu family.
Whenever a conflict arises between the Holy Land Court and Bashu, the Northern Wilderness Army always suddenly "invades" Xiliang.
Then, the attention of the Holy Land and the court will collectively shift westward, providing Western Shu with a large amount of military supplies and equipment, ordering it to defend the Western Liang defense line and repel the Northern Wilderness. At the same time, they will choose to compromise on various issues concerning the bottom line interests of the court.
For over a thousand years, this method has proven effective time and again. Western Shu was gradually fattened up by the Great Feng Dynasty in this way, eventually becoming the biggest cancer in the Holy Land and completely losing its restraining power.
Of course, the Great Feng Dynasty wasn't any better; they were just two piles of shit, and neither of them needed to look down on the other.
"There's something else I find strange. Dong Zhongying has been serving the Xu family since the time of Xu Xiao, right?"
I can understand him calling Xu Fengqing his brother, but it's a bit too unbelievable that he would still call a younger generation of the Xu family his brother after so many generations.
Could it be true, as the Xu family themselves claim, that everyone who sees a member of the Xu family is bewitched, inexplicably willing to serve them like dogs and horses?
Duan Jiong said, "This matter is indeed outrageous. What's even more outrageous is that Dong Zhongying, who is already 1,500 years old, actually calls Xu Rong 'elder brother,' and it's out of genuine admiration. It's really not in line with common sense."
Shen Zhao smiled and asked, "Are you sure?"
"Yes!"
Upon receiving Duan Jiong's affirmative answer, Shen Zhao smiled slightly.
It seems that everything the analysis was correct; Xu Fengqing or Xu Xiao and Xu Rong are the same person.
"I understand now, I understand everything."
Just then, a spirit dove flew in from the window and landed in front of Shen Zhao, instantly transforming into a spiritual light that entered his mind.
The spirit pigeon was delivered by Mu Qiuyao, and its message contained only one sentence: "Zhaozhao, Xu Rong and Xu Fengqing are the same person. Xu Rong was rescued by a one-armed swordsman and his whereabouts are currently unknown. My sister Qingluan and I have left the palace and are lying low in Xingshi City."
As expected, the message sent by Mu Qiuyao completely confirmed Shen Zhao's judgment.
"Just as I thought!"
Just then, another clever dove flew in through the window.
This is a message sent by Liang Hao from Huayang City.
"Brother, the headquarters of the Nine Netherworlds has been located; it's in the ancient king's tomb in Bashu."
Simultaneously absorbing two major pieces of news allowed Shen Zhao to gradually gain a clearer understanding of the current situation in the Holy Domain, while also beginning to face difficulties.
Should we deal with Jiuyou first or the Xu family of Bashu?
"My lord, what has happened?"
Seeing Shen Zhao's furrowed brows, Zhang Huan asked with concern.
Shen Zhao asked directly, "Is there any connection between the Xu family and Jiuyou?"
The moment the words "Nine Netherworlds" were uttered, the two were immediately shocked.
"My lord, do you mean that Jiuyou has already appeared in Shu?"
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