Stealing the Pen: Kirin's Primordial Lotus

Chapter 568

After Shangguan Qian dealt with the Shangguan family, he obediently followed Gong Huanyu, Gong Shangjiao, Gong Yuanzheng and others back to the palace gate.

"Master Jiao, the latest information! Zhi Ren secretly met with a big shot in Tiandu, who is said to be the mysterious military advisor of Chongwu Camp." Jin Fu took the information from the palace gate from the legs of the carrier pigeon.

"Gong Ziyu only knows these petty tricks!" Gong Shangjiao sneered at this and even looked down on it.

"Brother, will the Chongwu Camp that Gong Ziyu is cooperating with ambush us on the way back? Do I need to notify my second brother and the others and ask him to send the troops from his base over?" After hearing Jin Fu's words, Gong Yuanzheng first thought of what they would do, and then wanted to find help.

Gong Shangjiao made a gesture and looked at Gong Yuanzheng with a smile, "Brother Yuanzheng, are you afraid that we won't be able to defeat those people?"

Gong Yuanzheng shifted awkwardly on his horse. "I'm not afraid of not being able to defeat those people. I just don't want to delay the process because of some unnecessary trouble."

Gong Yuanzheng had a certain understanding of the strength of the people in Chongwu Camp, but after all, Gong Shangjiao had always said before that fame and power should not be compared, and there was no need to sacrifice the elite troops of the palace in vain for this or that reason.

Gong Shangjiao thought about what Gong Yuanzheng had told him in private, and after much hesitation, he decided to let Gong Yuanzheng secretly pass the message to Zhuo Yichen and others nearby.

"Don't worry, brother. I have arranged for someone to inform your second brother long ago! And with the Chongwu Camp acting like this, I'm afraid the emperor sitting in Tiandu City is very fed up with it and has long wanted to replace them." Gong Yuanzheng looked like he had everything under control.

Tiandu City, in the imperial palace.

The emperor and Prince Xiang were sitting in the imperial garden playing chess, but there were only a few pieces on the chessboard.

"Why did Your Majesty suddenly agree to their request?" King Xiang picked up a chess piece from the chess box and quickly put it down.

"Zhuo Yichen is the apple of the eye of the Demon Collection Division and the apple of the eye of the Hua Mansion! Not to mention that his brother is a well-known genius doctor in the palace! No matter from which angle, it is definitely wiser to have a good relationship with Zhuo Yichen than to trust the eloquent military advisor of Chongwu Camp." The emperor smiled and held the chess piece tightly in his hand with a happy mood.

However, Prince Xiang on the side looked worried. "But, Your Majesty, aren't you worried at all that Zhuo Yichen will be corrupted by power? If he becomes greedy and wants to do something out of the ordinary, we'll be completely helpless!"

The emperor didn't respond immediately after hearing Prince Xiang's words. Instead, he suddenly placed a piece on the chessboard. Then, he slowly raised his head, glanced at Prince Xiang sitting across from him with a half-smile, and said slowly, "You're so worried. Are you afraid that Zhuo Yichen will have too much power, or are you worried that he will have a negative impact on you?"

When Prince Xiang was asked this by the Emperor, his expression instantly stiffened. He quickly explained, "Your Majesty, you are my biological brother! Of course I am loyal to you!"

The emperor seemed not to notice Prince Xiang's embarrassment and continued to say cheerfully, "I thought you were still a child at heart. You were actually jealous of that kid Zhuo Yichen!"

Prince Xiang could only follow the emperor's words at this moment, "Brother is suddenly so nice to Zhuo Yichen. As your younger brother, I'm naturally jealous when I see this!"

Seeing that his beating had achieved the desired effect, the emperor stopped talking about this topic and turned to talk about the affairs of the Hua Mansion.

"The two men from the Hua Mansion took the initiative to propose to use the annual income from part of the mines in the Great Wilderness in exchange for the lives of some people in the Chongwu Camp. This is a very cost-effective deal. The two men from the Hua Mansion gave us three months, and we can send miners to mine at any time throughout the year. The Hua Mansion only wants 30% of the excavated ore, and the remaining 70% will naturally go into the national treasury." The emperor's tone seemed to be quite satisfied with the deal.

However, the emperor changed the subject and thought of the state of the treasury. He couldn't help but sigh, "Brother, you know this too. Although our country appears to be prosperous on the surface and the people are living and working in peace and contentment, in reality, the small countries around us are eyeing us covetously and are ready to make a move. The fact that the treasury is empty is clear to you and me. Back then, when my father was on the throne, he indulged in pleasure without paying any attention to the country's financial situation, and he had already squandered all the gold and silver treasures in the treasury. Now, those two people from the Hua Mansion have sent such a large sum of money. We have no choice but to give them some face for the sake of all that gold and silver!"

When Prince Xiang heard what the emperor said, he remembered that when his brother first took over the country, there were scenes of horses running in the national treasury, and even the succession ceremony was kept simple. To this day, the emperor's sister-in-law is still wearing some palace clothes from when she was the crown princess.

Prince Xiang remained silent about this. After all, the treasury in his own palace was not very well-stocked, and he occasionally had to shamelessly come to the palace to ask his mother for some money.

When the emperor saw that Prince Xiang stopped talking, he knew that he must have understood his difficulties. After all, everything was for the country. It was just sacrificing one or two unimportant people to preserve the existence that could be said to be the financial backer of the entire country. The two are completely incomparable!

This seemingly relaxed conversation between the emperor and Prince Xiang was like a verdict of fate, easily determining the future direction of Chongwu Camp.

In the Old Dust Valley at the foot of Gongmen Mountain, a dilapidated inn stood quietly, as if witnessing the vicissitudes of countless years. Zhen Mei of the Chongwu Camp and the mysterious military advisor were standing inside the inn, their figures blurred in the dim light.

Zhen Mei respectfully reported the situation to the man wearing a tri-fold mask: "Teacher, our people have completed all the preparations and are just waiting for Gong Shangjiao and the others to fall into the trap!" His voice revealed a hint of excitement and nervousness.

The three-fold mask nodded slightly, expressing its approval of Zhen Mei's work. He stood by the window, gazing through the dilapidated window toward the palace gate. The sunlight shone on his mask, reflecting a faint light that made it difficult to see his true face.

"Very good!" The voice of the man in the three-fold mask was deep and powerful, as if it contained endless strength. "As long as we can capture Gong Yuanzheng, we will have the key bargaining chip. By then, even if Zhuo Yichen and the others are reluctant, they will have to obey our orders!"

His words revealed a kind of confidence and determination, as if the entire plan was under his control. As Zhen Mei listened to the teacher's words, her confidence grew stronger.

"Not only that, once we succeed, let alone a small palace gate, even a place as rich in resources as the Great Wilderness will become a place we can enter and exit freely!" The three-fold mask continued, his gaze seemed to pass through the palace gate and see farther.

Dian Zhu, who escaped from Wufeng's headquarters, brought two Liang-level assassins and a few Mei-level assassins with him. He was now standing at the gate of the courtyard rented by Chongwuying. Dian Zhu's figure looked a little lonely and desolate under the moonlight.

"Lord Wen, it's been many years since we last met. I hope you are well!" Dian Zhu's voice echoed in the night sky with a hint of sarcasm.

Under the guidance of Zhen Mei, Dian Zhu walked into the courtyard and met the so-called mysterious military advisor of Chongwu Camp - Wen Zongyu.

Wen Zongyu was sitting on a worn wooden chair, with a three-fold mask on his face, making it impossible to see his true appearance.

When Dian Zhu walked into the room, Wen Zongyu slowly took off his mask, revealing a slightly older but still shrewd face. His eyes fell on Dian Zhu, as if he was examining a stranger.

"It's been ten years since we last met, and you've changed a lot, Dianzhu!" Wen Zongyu's voice was low and hoarse, revealing a feeling of having experienced many vicissitudes of life.

Dian Zhu smiled faintly and responded, "You speak as if you haven't changed! From what I understand, your Chongwu Camp has been abandoned by Xiang Wang and his men! Otherwise, you wouldn't appear here in such a state of disgrace and even contact me."

Wen Zongyu's expression changed slightly, clearly struck by Dian Zhu's words. He snorted coldly and retorted, "Hmph! What a bastard Xiang Wang! He's nothing but a coward! He gave up such a great ideal just because of a minor setback!"

Wen Zongyu's words were full of contempt and anger towards King Xiang, and he seemed very disappointed with King Xiang's behavior.

"Isn't your ideal to dominate the world? How come so many years have passed and there is still no progress?" Dian Zhu widened her eyes and looked at Wen Zongyu in disbelief. She covered her mouth tightly with her hands, as if trying to suppress the surprise in her heart.

Wen Zongyu's face was as gloomy as water, and his fists were unconsciously clenched, the knuckles slightly white from excessive force. However, his expression was unusually calm, even with a hint of sarcasm. He slowly raised his head and glanced coldly at Dian Zhu's mocking face.

"What do you know?" Wen Zongyu's voice was deep and powerful, with a hint of anger after being offended. "Do you think everyone is like you, a crazy woman? If I don't experience some failures, how can I easily succeed in my ideal?"

He paused, then continued, "However, I haven't made no progress either." Wen Zongyu suddenly reached out and patted Zhen Mei beside him, his lips curled up slightly, revealing a chilling, crazy smile, "This disciple of mine is the best proof of my years of hard work!"

Zhen Mei's body trembled violently when Wen Zongyu slapped him. His face was as pale as paper, and a thin layer of sweat even seeped out of his forehead. However, under Wen Zongyu's gaze, he did not dare to resist in the slightest. He could only stand there silently, head lowered, like a puppet at the mercy of others.

Wen Zongyu's gaze returned to Dian Zhu, his voice rising in intensity. "This disciple of mine has successfully absorbed the demonic elixir, and has even been able to maintain his human sanity for a certain period of time! With a few more subtle adjustments, I'll soon be able to mass-produce demonized humans! By then, the palace gates, King Xiang, and even the gods of the Great Wilderness will all become my prisoners, groveling at my feet!"

Dian Zhu looked carefully at Zhen Mei beside Wen Zongyu. She could clearly see that Zhen Mei seemed to be in great pain, but because of his teacher's order, he didn't dare to show it. However, from some of his subtle movements, it seemed that he was trying very hard to restrain something.

Dian Zhu raised the corners of her mouth slightly, revealing a faint smile, but she did not directly point out that the beautiful ideal that Wen Zongyu mentioned had actually turned into nothing long ago.

"What exactly do you want from the palace gate? As far as I know, there is nothing in the palace gate that matches your description!" Dian Zhu's voice was calm and firm, as if he knew Wen Zongyu's intentions very well.

Wen Zongyu's face changed slightly when he heard this, but he quickly regained his composure and retorted, "If you could find it so easily, wouldn't you have already captured the palace gate? Why bother sending so many women in to seduce those innocent men?"

Dian Zhu sneered and responded bluntly, "Humph! If the palace gate was really that easy to breach, would you still need to cooperate with me? With Lord Wen's ability, wouldn't entering the palace gate be as easy as entering your own home?"

Her words were like a sharp sword, piercing Wen Zongyu's vital points and leaving him speechless for a moment.

However, although Wen Zongyu was somewhat dissatisfied with her attitude, Dian Zhu did not care. After all, they were now like two grasshoppers tied to a rope, and no one could escape unscathed.

Of course, Wen Zongyu would not tell Dian Zhu his biggest secret, but now that they have become strangers, any reservations might cause unnecessary trouble.

"It's okay to tell you. After all, what you want to do is to destroy the palace gate which is a roadblock, and what I want is the Infinite Flowing Fire that they have been guarding and refusing to take out!" Wen Zongyu half-truthfully told Dian Zhu what he needed.

Dian Zhu had a lot of information about the palace gate, but she had no idea about Wuliang Liuhuo. She only knew that there was something at the palace gate that could not be used except in emergencies. She had been planning for so many years, but she only knew the name of this thing from the previous generation of leader Wufeng. She had no idea what it was used for or what it looked like.

"What do you want this thing for? The palace gate has protected the Infinite Flowing Fire very well, and no information about it has been leaked at all! Even the palace masters of their respective palaces knew about this thing after passing the three-domain trial." Dianzhu was very curious about how Wen Zongyu knew about the Infinite Flowing Fire at the palace gate.

Wen Zongyu waved his hand. "You don't need to know how I know this, but I can tell you that if I get the Infinite Flowing Fire, I'm 100% sure I can destroy the palace gate for you!"

Dian Zhu saw that Wen Zongyu refused to give in, and knew that if he continued to test him, he would inevitably become suspicious. "I'll know when the time comes! I'm not in a hurry!"

Wen Zongyu was very satisfied with Dianzhu's ability to understand the current situation, and ordered Zhen Mei to take Dianzhu and the others down to rest.

"Dianzhu, you've been traveling for so many days, you must be very tired! I'll let my disciples take you to rest first!"

After all, Dian Zhu is no longer the young girl she used to be. She is older now, has been traveling outside for so long, and has been exchanging witty remarks with Wen Zongyu for so long that she is already exhausted. Even if Wen Zongyu doesn't mention it, she will bring it up.

"I hope your plan won't disappoint me!" Dian Zhu said and followed Zhen Mei out of Wen Zongyu's room.