Chapter 1378: Low-Rank Aristocrats [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
"A retainer of the Yuan family?"
As far as he knew, no one in Xiang Zhao's network of connections bore the surname Yuan, let alone her suddenly becoming a retainer of the Yuan family. The enemy's meaning was crystal clear: Xiang Zhao had switched allegiance and submitted to them. This news was nothing short of a great humiliation for Luan Xin, who just a few words had considered himself Xiang Zhao's teacher and was also the Minister of Personnel of Kang State.
It's no different from slapping him.
Most people would have already jumped up, flipped the table, and started cursing the other person's ancestors. Anyone with a bit more composure would at least break down in a rage, making a fool of themselves. But Luan Xin wasn't a normal person. He continued in his usual slow, deliberate manner: "You mean this student, Luan, has betrayed his country?"
The man smiled faintly and said, "How can this be called betrayal and treason?"
Other onlookers also chimed in with malicious jeers.
"That's right, a good bird chooses a good tree to perch on, it's only natural."
“That’s strange. I’ve only ever heard of ‘people striving for higher positions, water flowing downhill,’ never ‘people striving for lower positions, water flowing uphill.’ It’s truly against the natural order and common sense.” Luan Xin said this with a sincere and straightforward expression. “Our lord came from humble beginnings, rising from obscurity to the highest position, dominating three or four tenths of the world. May I ask, how many households in your homeland can compare?”
Unless they share a single national title and obey a single royal court, this allied force, no matter how united, is still a patchwork of a dozen or so countries. Individually, they're insignificant; how can they compare to Kang? Xiang Zhao possesses considerable political resources, both overt and covert. She studied under Luan Xin, the Minister of Personnel, and her ancestors had connections with Chu Yao, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. Gongyang Yongye, a nineteenth-rank Marquis within the Passes, is the father of her future child; their interests are deeply intertwined. Why would she serve as a retainer for the Yuan family?
Luan Xin calmly replied in an infuriating tone, "Forgive my bluntness, but who is this Yuan woman that she deserves to be treated as a mere retainer?"
The contempt in his words was undisguised.
Having said so much at once, especially while feeling unwell, Luan Xin felt a dry mouth. He dabbed his lips with a damp cloth to relieve the dryness, without touching the wine on the table. The descendant of the Yuan family sitting opposite him had eyes like arrows, his aura exploding like a roaring mountain and sea rushing towards him. Gongyang Yongye calmly slammed his wine cup onto the table with a resounding thud, instantly piercing through the clouds and waves.
A head-on collision leaves only a wisp of breeze.
She wasn't surprised that her warning was intercepted, and she said sarcastically, "Minister Luan's words are not quite right. How can one judge strength by the size of a country's borders? Whether it's the Northwest Continent or the Southwest Continent, the former is wild and untamed, while the latter is barren and prone to disasters. Minister Luan has spent half his life trapped in the borderlands, and his discussions of important matters are like a frog in a well looking at the moon. If he could travel the world, he would know what it means for a mayfly to see the blue sky."
Gongyang Yongye sneered upon hearing this.
"What are you laughing at, my lord?"
"I laugh at you old folks for being so good at talking, all you do is spout this empty rhetoric. What's the difference between you and those mud-covered peasants digging in the dirt? To put it bluntly, you all only have one life, and you'll die if you're killed. You call yourselves upright officials, what a big face you have, no wonder you say things like 'sitting in a well and looking at the moon'..." Gongyang Yongye was very displeased.
A face as big as the moon is indeed very large!
Just as the man was about to darken his expression, Gongyang Yongye slammed his hand on the table.
"No matter how you fight or how much trouble you cause, you must return Xiang Zhao intact—" He looked around rudely, memorizing the face of everyone present. Those whose eyes were swept by him had the illusion of being stared at by a ferocious beast. "Otherwise, you'd better make sure your whole family lives under the watchful eye of Lord Che every day!"
What do you mean by that?
Gongyang Yongye raised his voice, and although he didn't unleash his full power, he made people think he was a deadly blade ready to draw blood: "I mean, wash your neck clean! If Xiang Zhao loses a single hair, I'll take the lives of your entire family! Let's see if she has more hair or your clansmen! What you do with how you fight with Kang Guo is none of my business, but you can't touch the people I'm protecting!"
Upon careful consideration, Xiang Zhao is not yet part of the Kangguo establishment.
She was a free woman who had gone to Yuanfu County at the invitation of Miao Ne. The Central Allied Forces attacked Yuanfu County and captured her. In theory, Gongyang Yongye could have bypassed official channels, and it would have been perfectly reasonable for him to shamelessly attack the families of these people.
"How dare you! Who are you threatening?"
These words nearly set the powder keg ablaze.
Gongyang Yongye sneered: "I am just a nobody from the martial world, and I only know one thing—the affairs of the martial world should be settled by the martial world! I am already being very generous by sitting here and listening to your sarcastic remarks, so don't be so shameless! Oh right, I know you all come from powerful clans, but as long as I manage to break through alive, remember to keep one eye open when your whole family is sleeping, so you don't die in your dreams!"
In Kangguo, even when fighting a war, procedures are followed first; people in the Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world) are different.
When people in the underworld do things, aren't they all aiming to eliminate any potential threats?
Each of their clansmen is protected by a Chehou?
No!
But he had the patience to drag people out and kill them one by one!
Those present had never seen such a ruthless person as Gongyang Yongye before, and for a moment they exchanged bewildered glances. Gongyang Yongye suppressed his temper: "I don't need to consider Luan Gongyi. I'm not from Kang State, he has no right to interfere with me! One word: hand over the person or not!"
Everyone's face turned as if they had stepped in dog poop.
In a normal world, a roughneck would be easily chopped into mincemeat by a few axemen after making such a threat. But in this world, individual combat strength is abnormal. If, as Gongyang Yongye said, the other party doesn't consider the bigger picture, breaking through would be effortless. At that point, it would be like releasing a fish into the sea; catching it again would be virtually impossible.
If they were even more shameless, killing members of their own clan according to the family genealogy, they really wouldn't be able to defend themselves. Who could defend against a 19th-rank Marquis of Guannei fighting alone? They didn't know if Gongyang Yongye dared to take the risk, but they certainly didn't dare to gamble.
“It was indeed a well-considered decision by Lady Xiang to change her allegiance; we had no intention of coercing or bribing her. How about this—” The man at the head of the table then stepped in to smooth things over, seeking the opinion of the Yuan family, intending to let Xiang Zhao explain herself.
Lady Yuan clasped her hands in a fist and said, "As you command."
He whispered to his deputy, "Go and invite them here."
Luan Xin asked Gongyang Yongye out of the corner of his eye what was going on.
Didn't he search the place and confirm that the person who came and went wasn't here?
Luan Xin asked him, and he was still puzzled.
Xiang Zhao's aura is definitely not here!
Before long, Yuan's deputy brought Xiang Zhao over. The latter looked very healthy, with his hands and feet intact and his complexion ruddy, not at all like a prisoner who had been captured for a long time. After entering the tent, he saw Luan Xin and Gongyang Yongye there as well, and bowed to them to greet them: "This student greets the teacher and the lord."
Gongyang Yongye asked her, "Are you alright?"
Xiang Zhao sat down next to Yuan Shi and said, "I am very well."
Now it was the enemy's turn to laugh: "Minister Luan has also seen it. Your student has truly submitted to us. In my opinion, you might as well abandon the darkness and embrace the light, instead of being so stubborn."
Luan Xin did not answer, but just looked at Xiang Zhao and sighed.
Xiang Zhao looked directly into his eyes.
"I'm sorry to disappoint the teacher, but this is indeed the student's own choice. Kangguo is a good place, but there is no place for the student to stay."
The man sitting at the head of the table even considerately asked the master and disciple if they wanted to catch up in private, but Luan Xin shook his head: "No need, we are on different paths."
Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together.
There's no need to say another word.
Xiang Zhao's eyes dimmed slightly, but she remained silent. Gongyang Yongye glanced at her, then at Luan Xin, and also chose to remain silent.
Xiang Zhao's appearance shattered Luan Xin's confidence to retaliate, and the enemy's ridicule intensified. However, they could ridicule him all they wanted; Luan Xin would respond when he felt like it, and ignore them when he didn't, making everyone hate him to the core!
Luan Xin's goal this time was to negotiate the ransom price for the prisoners, with Xiang Zhao being the most special case. Since she had chosen to switch allegiance, she naturally had to be removed from the ransom list. This made negotiating the other prisoners much easier; the only difference was the price.
Kang's country is large and prosperous; he can afford the ransom.
The final agreed price was 30% higher than the normal market price.
Gongyang Yongye was seething with anger.
I don't understand why Luan Xin suddenly lost his morale, almost being led by the nose by the opponent in the latter half. Being treated like this, it's better to settle this matter using江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the martial arts world) methods! Luan Xin's behavior is one thing, but why is Luo San also mute? "Did a cat steal your tongue?"
Luo San said, "We'll talk about it when we get back."
Although he was also angry—Shen Nujun's family was so powerful and wealthy, they couldn't afford to squander it like this—Luan Xin, who had risen to the position of head of the Six Ministries, was certainly no ordinary person. He chose to trust Shen Nujun's judgment; Luan Xin must have his own reasons. If Luan Xin was truly just incompetent, then he would have to teach Luan Xin a lesson.
Gongyang Yongye angrily shouted, "You—"
Since the chat audio was being monitored, Luan Xin used the Bluebird Messenger to communicate, telling Luan Xin some clues he had discovered during the meal that day.
The very first sentence is explosive content.
This is not a matter of coming and going.
Gongyang Yongye and Luo San pressed their heads together, looking at the encrypted text on the letter, and were completely confused by its contents.
He suddenly looked up at Luan Xin.
His eyes questioned: [Wasn't it Xiang Laiqu? But clearly—]
He hadn't found Xiang Zhao during his earlier investigation, which might be because the enemy used special methods to conceal their presence, causing him to slip through. But at the banquet just now, at such close range, it was clearly Xiang Zhao himself!
"It's definitely not her, or rather, not entirely her." After conveying this message, Luan Xin pointed to his eyes. "The world I see is different from what ordinary people see."
Gongyang Yongye and Luo San could determine Xiang Zhao's authenticity through his aura, which was more similar to literary aura. Luo San, however, could see it directly with his eyes, almost like the aura of the soul: "I see that the aura on Lai Qu's body is being interfered with by an external force."
Gongyang Yongye and Gongyang Yongye exchanged a glance.
Luan Xin drew a conclusion.
Changing allegiance was probably not her own intention.
[Is someone using the power of words to control her as a puppet, manipulating her thoughts and actions?] Such power of words does exist, but it is rare and dangerous. There are generally two types of manipulation. One is relatively superficial, taking advantage of the controlled person's sleep or distraction to intervene. The other is imposing one's own consciousness onto the controlled person, and the latter is far more difficult than the former.
Judging from Xiang Zhaogang's behavior just now, he doesn't seem to be the former.
Could it be the latter?
"Perhaps it's even more serious than that." Luan Xin forced himself to stay awake despite his physical discomfort. "It was Lai Qu's appearance that made me notice a detail... Besides Lai Qu, there were two other people present who also seemed somewhat out of place."
Gongyang Yongye: [To put it simply.]
Luan Xin asked him, "Have you ever heard of body snatching?"
The so-called "body snatching" refers to the invasion of one person's soul and spirit into another person's body, either by eliminating, devouring, or suppressing the original owner's soul and spirit, in order to gain control of that body.
Seeing the two struggling to process this information, Luan said, "[The upper ranks have no poor families, the lower ranks have no noble families. I've been wondering if there truly is a power of words that can make the upper ranks forever exist only among noble families? Then I thought it was unlikely. Since Heaven allows everyone to have the opportunity to receive divine gifts, why leave such a gap for someone to exploit? I also thought of Wu Hui.]"
If one possesses the literary talent of "stealing the beams and replacing the pillars," then under harsh conditions, one can give a second-grade literary talent to another mediocre person with poor talent. So, under certain harsh conditions, is it possible for someone to achieve a similar plundering effect?
If Wenxin can "steal the beams and replace the pillars," what about the body?
In some ways, it's more convenient than simply replacing the text.
Luo San shook his head: "I don't believe it."
Gongyang Yongye: [I do think it's possible.]
[When a ruler desires immortality, powerful clans naturally desire an everlasting dynasty.] As Luo San looked over, Gongyang Yongye revealed some secrets he had inadvertently learned years ago: [Years ago, I treated a patient, and over time we developed a rapport. I overheard this person vaguely mention something about 'head transplant'...]
What should we replace?
Luo San, expressionless: [This is getting more and more absurd.]
Gongyang Yongye retorted, unconvinced: "You think I'm lying to you? It's true. I've even seen that incomplete medical record. Some of the steps described how to replace the heads of two monkeys, and the monkey that had the head transplant even woke up."
However, no one can replicate that case.
Like some fantastical and bizarre tales from the marketplace.
The patient was quite disappointed at the time, and Gongyang Yongye mocked him: "So what if you got a body that can have children? Can something that isn't your own give birth to your own child?"
Thinking about it now, it seems terrifying.
[When the body ages, it is replaced with a young and strong one; when the talent is too poor, the soul is replaced with a body with talent... How can this not be called—the superior have no poor families, and the inferior have no noble families?] The truly high-quality resources are always in our hands.
Even if a genius is one in ten thousand—
Even among a hundred million people, there will be ten thousand geniuses to choose from.
Luo San: [Even if it truly existed, it wouldn't be possible to use it recklessly; otherwise, the entire clan would be filled with extraordinary talents.]
Gongyang Yongye said, "That's true."
He almost choked on his breath as soon as he finished speaking. [Did Minister Luan mean that Xiang Laiqu might have been possessed?]
[I have concerns about this.]
But he wasn't too worried about Xiang Zhao's situation.
The aura of coming and going was noticeably stronger, not like someone who had suffered a serious injury; the deliberate restraint was probably to protect themselves.
(*▽*)
I first heard about head transplant surgery around 2015 or sometime ago. It was said that there were cases on monkeys, but it seems that the monkeys were euthanized after successful surgeries.
The previous human civilization mentioned in the text is in the future of our timeline. In order to save themselves and survive, they would probably do anything?
(End of this chapter)
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