Chapter 1353: The Beast Unleashed (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
Upon hearing this, Xiahou Yu's pupils suddenly contracted.
Overwhelmed with joy, he asked, "Is what you say true, my lord?"
Shen Tang waved his hand and said calmly, "How could this be false? However, Zi Kuan should not reveal this to others, especially those few who are always trying to cause trouble for Gong Xi Chou... Although it is the nature of martial artists to be warlike, the war will eventually end. Their personalities need to be tempered and suppressed so that they can be less of a worry in the future."
His words carried a hint of doting affection, but also a touch of helplessness.
If we cannot quickly align our pace with that of Kang State, who knows how many troubles await us in the future when the two sides merge. The larger a entity is, the easier it is to destroy itself. Every step must be taken with extreme caution; a slight misstep could lead us down the same path as Wu State.
Ultimately, it all comes down to that old Deng, Wenda.
If it weren't for his interference, Shen Tang could have managed things at his own pace, completely controlling one territory before swallowing the next. Conquering a new territory is like spreading a layer of sand on an existing foundation; the fresh, loose sand needs to be compacted repeatedly with wooden stakes. Only with a solid foundation can a tall building be erected.
On one hand, there is an urgent countdown; on the other hand, the new forces are unstable.
The military officers at the branch office are all eager to fight.
As the lord, how could Shen Tang not have worries?
Considering the issue of public sentiment, the countdown to the end of the world was kept secret even from the elders, with only a few people knowing the truth, let alone the new team that hadn't fully gelled yet. At times like this, Shen Tang especially missed Gu Chi—this considerate little angel would willingly take the blame and avenge Shen Tang, becoming the villain disliked by his colleagues—unfortunately, he was the only scholar capable of passively reading minds.
Luan Xin could temporarily cosplay Gu Chi.
However, Gongyi was slow to react, and Shen Tang couldn't bear to make things difficult for him.
Xiahou Yu thought of those military generals, his lips twitching slightly, but he remained silent—aside from the earliest recruits who seemed somewhat reliable, the later recruits were rather undisciplined and had a strong sense of chivalry. Then he thought, these old men were the type to pull out their underwear after losing a fight; they really couldn't do that without a bit of chivalrous spirit. He couldn't really count on them much more.
What is this all about?
They only got what they deserved.
The lord used the force of trousers to recruit them back then, and now he has to swallow this bitter pill. Besides, they're just a bit warlike, not some other fundamental flaw. A few more "Gongxi enemies" and they'll be more obedient after losing a few more trousers.
Xiahou Yu was never a fool.
As the new team member who was closest to Shen Tang, he also had the deepest understanding of Shen Tang among them. Naturally, he could hear the unspoken meaning in Shen Tang's words: "Martial artists are like knives. They need to be sharpened at all times to keep them sharp. How can they stay idle? They were better before, but ever since 'Strange Hero Qiu' appeared, they all seem to have been stimulated by something. They are practicing desperately and their tempers are too strong."
The existence of Gong Xichou is the biggest source of stimulation.
Those people were all eager to avenge their previous defeats; how could they not be warlike?
With their talent, even if they diligently cultivate, they definitely can't catch up to the freakish Gong Xi Chou. The only path they have is the battlefield, where they might have a chance to overtake him. The more opportunities they have to fight, the greater their chance of merit, the more martial luck they gain, the faster their cultivation speed, and the more likely they are to successfully overtake Gong Xi Chou, smash his dog head, and tear off his trousers to avenge their humiliation!
Prior to this, Luo San was closest to the target.
Robert had a legitimate opportunity to acquire Gongxi Chou's trousers, but he failed to seize it, much to the dismay of the victims. It's unclear who leaked the information, but someone with a big mouth said that Robert had intervened to force Gongxi Chou and his two companions to back down, and that he might possess Gongxi Chou's trousers. After this news spread, the victims occasionally bumped into Robert, seemingly trying to acquire them.
It's such a pity we missed out!
Luo San frowned, utterly bewildered, and scrutinized the victim with the look of someone who were perverted: "What kind of fetish do you have?"
This is probably not a people problem, but a cultural problem.
Shen Tang: "..."
She said she wouldn't take the blame.
What company culture involves chasing after another man? Luckily, there weren't any male attendants secretly watching me, otherwise, if this embarrassing incident were passed down to future generations, wouldn't they question whether our ancestors were even serious?
Everyone must die, but one cannot leave a lasting legacy through death.
Shen Tang privately advised Gong Xichou to take it easy.
"If this gets recorded in history books, how will future generations view it?"
That's even wilder than unofficial historical accounts.
"Didn't Gongyang Yongye say that I have a problem with having children? So as long as I don't have any, I won't have any descendants." Gongxi Chou was quite straightforward, seriously imagining the scenario, "If I unfortunately do have children, they can look at me however they want, with both eyes, lying down or sitting up, however they're comfortable. They can't make me come out of my coffin if they praise me a few times, right, Mama?"
Shen Tang: "..."
He added quietly, "He might not even live as long as I do."
Shen Tang: "..."
Well, imagine two or three hundred years from now, descendants surfing the internet with their ancestors—that's quite an interesting scene. Forget official history or unofficial accounts; if you see something you don't like, you'll jump out and debunk it! Just imagining that scene made her chuckle.
"Alright, alright, you win, but don't bully people too much." The youngest of the victims who lost the calf-nose trousers was a generation older than Gongxi Chou, and some were even two or three generations older. If they had been born a few years earlier, they would have been contemporaries of Gongyang Yongye.
Watching them jump up and down in anger at Gong Xichou, I inexplicably felt a sense of déjà vu, like they were bullying an elderly person living alone. Gong Xichou, however, was clearly unaware of this. But since Mama had spoken, he would listen. He stretched out his ear with his fingers and said, "I heard it with both ears."
Shen Tang chuckled: "Be serious, stop being naughty."
Gongxi Chou argued vehemently, "How is it that I'm the one being naughty?"
Shen Tang assumed he was just making excuses and didn't take it to heart. Then she heard Gong Xichou muttering behind her, "It's clearly my older brother... Mom, you're being too biased!"
"What does this have to do with the High Priest?" Shen Tang didn't even turn her head, slapping her hand behind her back to precisely push Gong Xi Chou's face away. "You're really shifting the blame too far! The High Priest is right here with me right now, and I can complain to him immediately."
Gong Xichou leaned to one side, then spun 360 degrees at a tricky angle before regaining his footing, returning to his starting position like a spinning top. He raised his voice, emphasizing his words, "It was clearly my elder brother who said it—he heard it with both ears!"
Shen Tang paused, "Huh?"
Gong Xichou said, "That's what my elder brother thinks."
Shen Tang asked in confusion again, "Huh?"
"What do you mean? Is that so strange? That's my own brother—" He raised his hand and sucked, and a red persimmon from the branch fell lightly into his palm. Birds flew in and circled around his head.
He served as Shen Tang's bodyguard, protecting Mama as she patrolled the nearby villages used to settle refugees. These villages had long been abandoned, with a dilapidated fence enclosing two persimmon trees. The leaves had long since fallen, leaving only a few scattered red fruits clinging to the branches.
The birds in the vicinity feed on it.
Gong Xichou was lucky; he found a whole one.
“Between brothers, there’s always some unspoken understanding.” Gong Xichou casually wiped the delicate skin of the persimmon, put it directly into his mouth after it looked clean, and the ripe persimmon spread across his taste buds. “When I first recognized my elder brother, I could only vaguely sense what he was thinking occasionally. As we spent more time together, the understanding became clearer and clearer. My elder brother is a bit…”
Gong Xiqiu had a cultural deficiency and, despite racking his brains, could not accurately describe how his elder brother was "two-faced".
"But you said your older brother is thinking..."
This isn't something that can be achieved simply through brotherly understanding, is it?
Gong Xichou didn't care about this. He didn't know what his other brothers looked like, but he and his brothers truly had no grudges against each other, nor did they have any secrets they needed to hide from each other. What couldn't they be honest about?
He said resentfully, "What does it matter? My older brother knows what I'm thinking, but he'll complain that I'm too noisy."
This subtle connection is not passive.
The brothers still have their privacy unless they deliberately talk about each other every day. It's not always a clear perception; most of the time it's a vague intuition, a vague sense that they know where the other is at any given moment and whether the other is happy or angry.
This also allowed him to avoid a lot of beatings from his older brother with a wooden cane.
Unlike Gong Xi Chou, whose love and hate were clearly defined and whose emotions fluctuated greatly, his elder brother's emotions were quite stable, only fluctuating when it came to specific goals. This meant that sometimes, when his elder brother wanted some peace and quiet, he would actively refuse Gong Xi Chou's advances.
Shen Tang commented: "Occasionally... it is indeed a bit noisy."
When he's serious, he's undeniably imposing and powerful, and countless souls have perished at his hands. But when he's naive—well, in chaotic times, you couldn't find many children more naive than him. This flexible mindset makes Gongxi Chou's age incredibly difficult to fathom.
Gong Xichou: "..."
Before Lin Feng arrived from Qu Kingdom, Shen Tang had secretly made all the preparations, with the reclamation of wasteland and soil nourishment underway.
Upon their arrival, Lin Feng and his men could begin preparing the provisions for the three armies after a short rest. In Qu Kingdom, Zhai Le had provided strong support for Lin Feng's work, but Lin Feng couldn't fully unleash his potential, and his overall efficiency remained somewhat limited. However, he didn't have this concern in front of Shen Tang, and his efficiency was almost twice that of Qu Kingdom. Naturally, this astonished the military and civilian officials, leaving them speechless.
However, after a few days of not checking, the grain depot is full again.
"Didn't I burn down your granary?"
Luo San, who was wandering around, noticed something was wrong.
The food and supplies are being replenished too quickly!
He's been out and about lately, and Shen Tang hasn't restricted his movements. Luo San is well aware that there haven't been any grain transport teams coming over recently, not a single one! They're not getting grain from elsewhere, and recently Luo San burned down a granary. Since Shen Tang entered the city, he hasn't plundered the people's wealth or slaughtered local rich households and gentry... So where are the grains for the common people and soldiers going to eat?
Luo San's mind raced: "Or did you use some kind of time-reversal spell to restore the burned-down granary?"
Now it was Shen Tang's turn to be surprised.
"No, there's such a thing as the power of words?"
"Yes, there are, but the price is extremely high, and no one can afford it." Luo San has lived for so many years and has naturally broad knowledge. "I once saw someone who used time as an arrow and was invincible... To encounter such an opponent is to be unlucky for eight lifetimes."
"ah?"
"Time flies like an arrow, but the way of Heaven is as crooked as a bow."
"Never heard of it."
Upon hearing this, Luo San smiled, a smile tinged with malice: "The world is full of heroes and talented people. The martial artists you've encountered all use the eighteen weapons, but there are always some prodigies whose skills you can't envy."
"...Can this really be considered a 'moat'?"
The development in the central part of the mainland is indeed quite interesting.
Shen Tang had been in the central region for several years and had never heard of such an ability, which suggested that it wasn't something just anyone could learn. As long as the skill threshold was high enough, there was no need to worry about a flood of formidable enemies. Shen Tang wanted to learn more, but Luo San said, "Don't worry too much. Maybe they're already dead. That arrow wasn't very effective."
To some extent, this touches upon the realm of "gods." To attempt to wield a divine weapon with a mortal body always comes at a high price. Luo San's casual remark was not something Shen Tang could take lightly—just as martial artists wield time like arrows, scholars can also build walls of years. She had never been optimistic about her luck, and always preparing for the worst was never a mistake.
"That person... could he also be Marquis Che?"
Will the 20th-rank Marquis become a fashion item?
Luo San was quite certain about this, giving a precise answer: "No, even if he were still alive now, he wouldn't."
Why?
"Human lifespan is finite."
Those who cultivate this kind of spiritual power, regardless of whether they are scholars or warriors, will all have short lifespans.
For example, the one Luo San had met before.
Young, handsome, and full of vigor.
Before his death, his father gave that person all the knowledge he had accumulated throughout his life. He shot three arrows on the battlefield and almost killed his opponent of the same level with an absolute advantage. Luo San was not very strong at that time, but he was not weak either. He almost became a victim of the arrows.
Tsk—
If it weren't for that hidden injury, he might not have failed in his advancement.
After three arrows, his hair turned white in an instant.
Therefore, Luo San was certain that the other party would not live long.
"If the lady is worried about this, she might as well find some Buddhist or Taoist people to hold a ceremony to curse the other party to be childless!" As far as he knew, due to the special nature of the power of words, the secrets of cultivation were only passed down through bloodlines. Scholars and warriors had much more difficulty in having offspring than ordinary people. They could not control whether they had a son or a daughter. If they had a daughter who did not have the talent for cultivation, wouldn't the family line be cut off?
Shen Tang: "...There's no need for that."
She sighed, "As long as we don't encounter the war against Qi, it'll be fine."
Whether it's the person Luo San mentioned or that person's descendants.
Based on her past experience, if she gets clues about certain powerful figures from someone, that person will definitely appear soon to cause trouble. She's going to take down Qi Guo soon, and following this pattern, someone with similar abilities might appear to surprise her.
Luo San naturally didn't understand her heartache.
He sneered, "Qi Kingdom is just a tiny pond..."
It's already outrageous that they could gain the support of a 20th-rank Marquis to establish a kingdom several times. Although Luo San had never dealt with that Marquis, he knew that the Qi Kingdom was utterly hopeless, only interested in petty gains and lacking any long-term vision. They were living such a pathetic life despite being surrounded by gold.
Anyone with even a little skill—
With a rank 20 Marquis as a safety net, and Luo San as a hidden trump card, plus the recruitment of talented individuals to assist them, where in the world could they not go? Yet they only think about the profits from selling official positions and titles, the royal family only cares about the present romance and pleasure.
He's destined to never amount to much!
Shen Tang gave an awkward laugh: "You don't understand Kang Shi."
(へ╬)
There's nothing wrong with these two chapters, so why were they put in a "blacklist" yesterday, and are they still under review today after being published?
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