Chapter 702: Trading a Slingshot for a Cannon [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
Chu Yao: "Is it a deal?"
Wei Shou said disdainfully, "I always keep my word, unlike you, you dog, who goes back on your word all the time. It's a deal!" As he spoke, he showed off his palm, which was as big as a palm fan.
Chu Yao raised his hand and gave him a high five as a pledge.
With a loud crash, Wei Shou felt uneasy, as if he had inexplicably jumped into a bottomless pit. Unfortunately, the problem before him was a multiple-choice question with two identical options; choosing either one made no difference.
He drooped his eyelids helplessly.
In that instant, it seemed as if someone had drained all his energy and spirit.
Wei Shou slumped down and said viciously, "Speak, what else do you want from me? Judging by your temperament, your purpose is definitely not just to force me to rebel; it must be a series of interconnected schemes. I want to know who the next unlucky one will be."
These are all painful lessons learned.
Chu Yao said, "Li He."
Wei Shou, his ears perked up, was overcome by gossip and curiosity: "Li Shisong? What, did he offend you in some way?"
Chu Yao shook his head: "I'm not familiar with him, but this person knows Ning Tunan, so we can't let him go back alive."
Although most people would assume a man by recognizing a man's signature, Li He is an exception. If he were to return alive and meet Zheng Qiao, he might very well bring up this detail. As the ruler, Zheng Qiao might know some of the secrets of the Imperial Seal and could perhaps trace it back to the lord through Ning Yan's connection... Even if the possibility is extremely slim, Chu Yao doesn't want to take that risk.
However, Wei Shou interpreted these words differently.
He said bluntly, "Ning Tunan? Where did you pick her up from? You're quite the ladies' man for your age."
They were practically saying Chu Yao was an old scoundrel.
Chu Jie, who was just standing in the background, couldn't help but chuckle. But before his laughter could subside, he received a warning glare from Chu Yao, and he avoided Chu Yao's gaze, forcibly suppressing his smile.
Chu Yao turned his gaze back: "Ning Tunan is a colleague."
Wei Shou responded with an "Oh," and then asked, "Do you have a grudge against Li Shisong?"
"That's not important, I want Li He's head."
Wei Shou leaned back against the armrest and said in a sarcastic tone, "Fine, whatever you want. Whatever Chu Liangliang wants, let alone a head, I'll even catch his bird for you."
Chu Yao remained unfazed.
He knew that Wei Shou was unhappy, so he let him have his way.
Chu Yao then carefully instructed Wei Shou on every detail, which the latter, though displeased, diligently remembered. Once everything was explained, Wei Shou kicked open the window, telling these two uninvited guests to get back to where they came from: "Goodbye!"
Chu Jie had not expected things to go so smoothly.
He said, "This Wei Yuanyuan is quite interesting."
“You find him interesting now because Ruiji is in our hands, and Zheng Qiao will kill him anyway. He has no choice but to act, as it would be a losing proposition. If anything goes wrong, a fight will break out. Before the dust settles, we still need to be wary of him turning on us.”
Chu Jie asked, "Would Wei Shou go back on his word?"
Chu Yao said, "Rather than saying he would go back on his word, it's more accurate to say that he, like Rui Ji, chose what was most advantageous to him."
Chu Jie then thought of another detail.
"You want to kill Li He, just for Ning Tunan?"
Chu Yao laughed and said, "That's only one reason. The second is to have Wei Shou personally cut off his last escape route. Li He now has the 'secret letter' in his hands, and he will definitely try to keep Wei Shou calm. With his eloquence and scholarly skills, plus Wei Shou's brains, wouldn't Wei Shou be fooled into becoming a fool? It would only ruin our grand plan!"
Therefore, Li He must die.
Before Li He and Wei Shou could react!
Chu Jie: "..."
He always felt that Chu Yao's ruthless scheming was somewhat related to Wei Shou's repeated insults tonight, calling him "Chu Wuhui, you dog." Literati are known for their vengeful nature, and they seek revenge without bloodshed.
The two returned to the camp without any obstacles.
The tent where Shen Tang was temporarily resting was still lit up.
Since Li He had already gone to sleep, Shen Tang told the human-to-speech translator to go back to rest as well. She then turned on the lamp to deal with the pile of books and letters, while waiting for good news from Chu Yao and the other man. She needed to see Chu Yao with her own eyes and hear him announce the good news before she could truly feel at ease.
until--
She sensed that Chu Yao was outside the tent.
Overjoyed, he said, "Wu Hui, come in quickly."
After Chu Yao entered the tent: "Is everything going smoothly?"
“Wei Shou has already agreed to surrender and set a time. With the help of both inside and outside forces, we can take Chaoli Pass. Once Chaoli Pass is open, the rest of Yan Province will be in our hands.” Even though he had seen many storms, Chu Yao’s eyes were filled with joy at this moment.
This means that overthrowing Zheng Qiao is one step closer.
"Has Wei Shou surrendered?"
She hadn't expected that Chu Yao's trip would bring her a martial arts expert with unparalleled courage. If Wei Shou could truly join her, it would greatly compensate for her shortcomings. Shen Tang desperately needed experienced martial arts experts! This was a complete transformation from a slingshot to a cannon!
Chu Yao nodded affirmatively.
Shen Tang gripped his hand, tightening it with excitement.
If it weren't for the fear of disturbing Li He, they would definitely have celebrated.
"My lord, what about Li He?"
Shen Tang raised her hand and pointed towards the main tent.
"Progress is going very smoothly."
She was terrified that Li He was a sow wearing a bra, so she meticulously prepared a series of elaborate schemes, having Gu Chi closely monitor Li He's thoughts until she was absolutely certain there were no flaws before she completely believed he had taken the bait. With all her plans in place, all she needed to do now was wait and see how things unfolded…
Li He made an excuse to leave the next day.
He still wore a smile when facing Shen Tang, but his expression turned grim the moment he turned away. His immediate priority was to appease Wei Shou, the traitor, and use him as a stepping stone to wealth and power. Little did he know that Wei Shou, after a night of deep thought, was also preparing to kill him.
Chu Yao, under Shen Tang's command, persuaded Wei Shou to surrender. Naturally, this matter needed to be informed of trusted allies; otherwise, it would be a disaster. However, the more people who knew the secret, the worse it would be. So Shen Tang only told the alliance leader Huang Lie, Gu Ren, and Wu Xian.
Huang Lie's knowledge means Zhang He's knowledge.
These four forces hold the majority of the power in the Allied forces.
Gu Ren was pleased because Shao Chong was very friendly to Shen Tang.
The words of congratulations were also heartfelt.
Huang Lie was surprised that Chu Yao had handled the matter so quietly. He felt a mixture of suspicion and envy, as did Wu Xian. If this was true, Shen Tang had gained a major general! This gain was far beyond ordinary spoils of war.
Shen Tang was secretly pleased, but he remained modest.
In terms of talent, Wu Xian's forces were also full of capable individuals.
It once made her envious, jealous, and resentful.
Soon, she won't have to be envious anymore.
Wu Xian noticed that Qin Li's gaze was fixed on the person opposite him, or more precisely, on Luan Xin next to Shen Tang. As the lord, he considerately asked, "Does Gong Su wish to reminisce with Luan Gongyi?"
Before Shen Tang joined the Dragon Slaying Bureau, Qin Li and Luan Xin had worked together briefly, and the two scholars also had private contact.
Wu Xian prided himself on being magnanimous and didn't mind the two of them associating.
Qin Li shook his head: "I just suddenly remembered something."
Upon seeing Luan Xin, he thought of the other man's scholarly ways, and thus felt somewhat doubtful, wanting to ask him to verify the truth of the matter.
Luan Xin clearly realized something, and his expression changed slightly.
Just as he feared, Qin Li invited him for a chat, and Luan Xin had no choice but to accept. Shen Tang returned to the camp early and, before even dealing with a pile of letters, noticed a shadowy figure pacing back and forth outside the tent: "Gongyi, why don't you come in?"
Luan Xin entered the tent in silence, without uttering a single word.
Shen Tang is not in a hurry; Luan Xin will speak when he is ready.
Finally, she heard Luan Xin sigh.
"My lord."
Shen Tang: "Go ahead."
Luan Xin found it difficult to speak, but he knew he had to say it himself. If he didn't confess now and Qin Li realized what was happening, it would be too late. He bowed and apologized, "There is something I need to ask of you... please forgive me, my lord!"
Shen Tang was taken aback by his display of force.
What's going on? Why are you so serious?
In an instant, countless guesses flashed through her mind.
“Since Gongyi joined my ranks, he has worked diligently, and I have seen it all. If there’s anything you need, just say it directly. There’s no need to beg for forgiveness all the time.” Shen Tang didn’t know what Luan Xin wanted to beg for forgiveness for, and habitually went straight to the point, “Even if it’s a huge matter that’s going to fall down, your lord is there to hold it up… Come on, tell me slowly.”
Luan Xin said: "...Regarding the way of the scholar."
Shen Tang's heart skipped a beat.
Because of the group of eccentrics under her command, she felt somewhat irritated by the phrase "the way of the scholar," fearing that it would cause her further trouble.
"What's wrong with your scholarly ways...?"
Shen Tang was cautious, even somewhat humble.
Luan Xin: "It's not the previous 'silent and gentle' approach."
Shen Tang, who had already prepared for the worst, was like this: "???"
Three seconds later: "What???"
Shen Tang didn't know what there was to apologize for.
Luan Xin said, "It is Miao Shu's way of the scholar."
Shen Tang was filled with questions.
It took me a while to remember who Miao Shu was.
But she was even more confused: "Miao Shu's way of the scholar?"
The most difficult part has already been mentioned; the rest is straightforward. Simply put, Luan Xin's approach to scholarship was never subtle or pervasive. He deliberately concealed the truth, using Miao Shu's approach to apply for the job.
Luan Xin was able to do this because—
"The way of the scribe is to draw inferences from one instance to another."
To put it another way, copy.
"...You mean you can use the literati way of the Wenxin literati that you've come into contact with?" Shen Tang's eyes widened, her gaze towards Luan Xin conveying the words "Don't fool me!" "This is just too much of a cheat!"
GM, someone here is cheating!
She thought that Qi Shan and Luan Xin were unmatched in their literary skills, but she never expected that they were just like little brothers in front of Luan Xin.
Luan Xin was puzzled: "Cheating?"
"I mean, the cow's mother opened the door for the cow, and the cow is home! Your scholarly way is so overbearing it's unreasonable!" Shen Tang was nothing but amazed, then suddenly realized something, her expression turning serious, "The stronger the scholarly way, the greater the burden it places on the user. For justice to suddenly reveal this, could it be... could it be that you... you're really nearing your end???"
Luan Xin: "..."
He realized that even if he could replicate the scholarly ways of others, he could never keep up with his lord's thought process: "No."
"Oh, then it's alright." Hearing that Luan Xin didn't intend to quit, Chen Tang felt relieved. Her employees were all precious; losing even one of them would be painful. However, she still didn't understand, "What's there to apologize for in this matter?"
Luan Xin: "..."
This question almost stumped him.
"Because of deceiving the lord."
Shen Tang tilted her head: "Everyone has their own secrets."
Even if she were the lord, she wouldn't have the right to demand that the company's employees reveal all their secrets; she doesn't have such a twisted desire for control.
Luan Xin: "..."
Shen Tang simply looked at Luan Xin with pure eyes, as if Luan Xin, who had gone through so much trouble to confess, was the one who was being unreasonable.
The two looked at each other in silence.
Shen Tang had no choice but to break the silence by changing the subject: "Let's change the subject. Why is Gongyi suddenly willing to speak up?"
Luan Xin lowered his head: "Because of Qin Gongsu... if this matter is reported to our lord by an outsider, I will have no face to face our lord."
He actually had the chance to say it before, but he missed it.
After that, a suitable opportunity could not be found.
Shen Tang couldn't quite understand Luan Xin's thought process, but that didn't stop her from holding his hand gently but firmly: "Even if Gongyi has concealed something, he has never done anything to harm me. Instead of pleading guilty here, why don't you tell me, can your scholar's way really be replicated?"
This skill is amazing!
Luan Xin asked emotionally, "Does my lord truly not blame me?"
Shen Tang readily agreed, "Of course."
She knew from the beginning that Luan Xin harbored ulterior motives and wasn't entirely at her disposal, but she had the patience to slowly wear him down. However, all that was in the past; bringing up old grievances was pointless. The only thing beyond her expectations was Luan Xin's scholarly way—good heavens—with such a scholarly way, wasn't all their information completely transparent to Luan Xin? Whatever tricks he wanted to pull, it couldn't be easier!
Luan Xin felt even more ashamed upon hearing this.
But Shen Tang didn't care; she only cared about the way of the scholar. According to Luan Xin, his way of the scholar allowed him to see through everyone's true colors—which was why he wasn't surprised by Shen Tang's gender, since he had known it all along—so Shen Tang asked a question she had long been curious about: "Gongyi, do you know about Gu Ziyi's way of the scholar?"
Hurry, tell her!
Luan Xin: "???"
Shen Tang coughed awkwardly: "I was just curious."
Gu Chi could hear the voices of so many people, but he ran into a brick wall with Gu Ren. Shen Tang had been curious about this for four whole years!
She was waiting for Luan Xin to reveal the answer.
Luan Xin said, "It is like a fish in water."
Shen Tang nodded excitedly: "What kind of effect?"
Luan Xin's expression was somewhat strange.
"Like a fish in water, inseparable as glue."
This is not a controllable path for scholars; it's similar in nature to Chu Wuhui's "a glimmer of hope after despair," both being passive. Under this path, Gu Ren's success rate in forming sworn brotherhoods with others would be extremely high, to the point that Luan Xin would avoid him altogether.
Why?
He was afraid that one day he might impulsively decide to become sworn brothers with him.
Shen Tang murmured, "This sounds a bit like Li He's 'Bewitched,' like a reincarnation of Daji..."
"What!"
Shen Tang had no choice but to repeat what she had said.
"What's wrong? Is something the problem?"
Luan Xin asked urgently, "The lord is referring to Li He, whose courtesy name is Shisong?"
Shen Tang was puzzled, but seeing Luan Xin's sudden change in expression, she knew there was more to the story than she knew. A thought quietly surfaced in her mind: "Li Shisong, has he offended you?"
Before anyone knew it, veins bulged on Luan Xin's forehead, his forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, and his lips were deathly pale: "Enemy!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Tang slapped his thigh.
"Oh no!"
Li Shisong's head is going to be taken by Wei Shou!
_(:з」∠)_
The table is covered in odds and ends; I don't want to tidy it up. Sigh.
I ordered a height-adjustable writing desk today. I used a coupon from PXX, and it was really a great deal.
P.S.: Gu Ren's "like a fish in water" comes from the saying "For me to have Kongming is like a fish having water," and this character also has some Song Jiang-like traits, so it's not hard to guess why he has so many sworn brothers. I always feel this joke is a bit lame…
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
