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"General Wei, did you notice something?" Shen Yuan curiously looked at Wei Gongzhan, who had a change in expression.

"Hmm..." Wei Gongzhan stared at the statue for quite some time, a conjecture rising in his heart...

It was said that the brilliant bastard cousin, after becoming disabled, seemed to have gone to Jiangnan, right?

"Brother Shen."

"Hmm?"

"Do you think, could there really be an underworld in Lyuzhou?"

"How could that be possible?" Shen Yuan immediately scoffed: "Chen Qing’s tricks might deceive the ignorant here, but as someone from a distinguished family, don’t you know that after death, one goes to the Path of Yin and Yang? Where does this talk of an underworld come from in the world?"

Speaking of the Path of Yin and Yang made Shen Yuan shiver involuntarily; during his practice of the Spirit Eye, he had seen images of the Shen family elders being dragged to the Path of Yin and Yang—a true battlefield of Asuras, countless evil ghosts, countless despondencies!

Chen Qing really knew how to lure people with illusions, what with talks of afterlife longevity, houses for the dead, reincarnation, starting life anew... If such good fortunes really existed in this world, he would stay in Lyuzhou for the rest of his life!

"That’s true..." Wei Gongzhan nodded and then said, "I’ve examined this statue and it seems to be devoid of any mechanisms. Those scholars must be using some other methods. Brother Shen, when you’re free, you might observe more closely.

I shouldn’t delay any longer here; I must quickly gather my men and head to Daqing Mountain. "

"General Wei, be careful," Shen Yuan also hurriedly said: "Daqing Mountain is no simple place. It is said that the continuous food supply for Lyuzhou comes from Daqing Mountain. Now, with a population of several hundred thousand, there hasn’t been any sign of a food shortage, especially meat which seems to be supplied endlessly to the people of Lyuzhou, and rather peculiarly at that.

Moreover, there are rumors that the farmers who have stayed on Daqing Mountain for a while seldom wish to return.

General Wei, when you go there, you must be very cautious. "

"Thank you for your concern, Brother Shen," Wei Gongzhan said with a smile, cupping his hands in thanks: "Please also be careful in your investigation of the academy."

Shen Yuan smiled back, returning the gesture.

Truth be told, dealing with Wei Gongzhan was much easier than with Wei Gongyan, who followed Weichi Feihu.

Wei Gongyan was not only deep and cunning but also foolish.

It was puzzling how the Weichi Clan came to let such an imbecile stay with the young princely heir.

And so, after bidding each other farewell and going their separate ways, neither of them noticed that the eyes under the mask of the City God Statue inside the temple moved slightly, meaningfully watching the direction Wei Gongzhan had left.

-----------------------

"Brother Wei, what are you laughing at?"

Inside the mansion courtyard, while playing chess with Wei Gongcheng, Shen San couldn’t help but ask with amusement, "You are usually so serious, Brother Wei.

This sudden laughter out of nowhere makes you seem quite spine-chilling, hmm.

.. somewhat resembling the fearsome air of an underworld judge. "

"Haha!" Hearing the jest from his chess companion of many days, Wei Gongcheng laughed heartily and then went on to talk about what he had just seen in the statue.

"The princely heir of the Weichi Clan?" Shen San nodded, "That does sound lucky. Based on our projections, if even thirty percent of Duke Qin’s forces could escape, they’d be lucky.

Someone like the princely heir from the Weichi Clan, unpolished in ability but with top-notch lineage, is exactly the kind of prized target usually given priority.

Surprisingly, he could safely blend in here. "

Wei Gongcheng nodded in agreement. After taking down Shen six, Chen Qing and others likely knew the whole truth!

Years ago, several Ancient Worms conspired and caused trouble, killing the old ancestor of the Shen Family.

The eldest of the nine worms, a deity serpent, took over the body of the eldest of the Shen Family, gaining an absolute advantage and forcing the remaining worms to hide away within the Shen Family, not daring to come out.

Thus, the Ancient Worm powers were split into two groups: the overseas worms and those within the Shen Family Island!

The overseas worms were secretly dispersing, continuously developing their kin and silently growing in power.

Yet, the Ancient Worms within the Shen Family were severely restricted.

In the year when Shen five and Shen six decided to throw in the towel and infect Jiangnan in a desperate move to survive, the Great Jin Dynasty unified the Central Plains!

Duke Liu of Song paid a visit to the Shen Family, and with him came a representative of the Royal Family: Princess Chang!

Everyone knew that it was Liu Yu who finally persuaded the Shen Family to come out and support the Imperial Court, conceding most interests in Jiangnan. But the real truth wasn’t like that.

It was Shen five and Shen six who reached a certain agreement with Princess Chang. In the end, Shen five came out to become the Minister of War, and after many years of planning, he aimed at absorbing the Bloodline Power of the great clans of Great Jin on this very day!

This scheme was audacious and successful. Princess Chang’s trap was brilliantly laid out. From the moment Duke Qin was lured away by Princess Chang, Chen Qing knew that Duke Qin’s forces were finished!

That’s why they then insisted on Wang Ye deceiving as many as possible to come over.

"The intelligence came too late..." Wei Gongcheng shook his head: "When we asked Minister Wang to go back, it was to have him delay things as much as possible.

But Brother Shen got the information too slow, barely piecing the plan together on the day of action.

By then, it was impossible to stop it, only left to ask Minister Wang to deceive some soldiers to come over.

Lord Wang is quite capable; within that short time frame, he really managed to bring so many troops to Jiangnan! "

"Minister Wang chose his man well..." Shen San said with a smile: "Among the duke, Duke Qi Tian Heng was a relatively persuadable figure. But luckily, being able to bring so many of his troops from Tian Heng’s command and retreat safely was indeed an impressive feat!"

"Yes..." Wei Gong answered with a smile and a nod: "The princely heir is indeed lucky; his kind of existence is not easy to escape from. He really is a person with fortune. I didn’t expect to see an acquaintance so soon."

"Are you on good terms with the princely heir of the Weichi clan?"

"Oh, not really..." Wei Gongcheng laughed: "The princely heir doesn’t really comply with his elder brother and doesn’t deal much with me either. Probably just familiar enough to recognize each other’s faces when passing by."

"Then why such a sinister smile?"

"Third Master is also a scholar, so he should choose his words wisely,"

"What do you mean by ’sinister’?"

"Alright, why are you laughing so happily?" "Could it be because of the two surviving members of the Wei Family?"

"You could say that..." Wei Gongcheng’s smile shone through the City God Statue as he watched the two members of the Wei Family still in the city, especially Wei Gongyan, who was following Weichi Feihu: "I remember when I left the Capital, my elder brother specifically saw me off, saying that fortunes rotate with the times, and one cannot always be on top.

" "Now that I think about it... he was right.

The wheel of fortune... turns pretty quickly! "

---------------------------------

"Gongyan, why do you keep looking behind?" Weichi Feihu frowned at Wei Gongyan’s distracted demeanor.

"It’s not that... Young Master, I just feel like... there’s something watching me." Wei Gongyan said as he looked around, feeling extremely irritable in his heart.

"Really?" Weichi Feihu frowned: "Don’t be superstitious, you’ve been like this since earlier, and we nearly got exposed. Also, while we’re out here, don’t call me Young Master.

We’ve enlisted today, and we’ve been assigned to different camps.

Be careful; we’re on someone else’s turf.

Unless it’s absolutely necessary, don’t reveal your Bloodline Power. "

"Young Master, don’t you trust me to handle things?" Wei Gongyan instantly dismissed the concern. If a kid like you knows about it, wouldn’t I be aware?

Weichi Feihu gave him a glance but didn’t seem very reassured.

Although Wei Gongyan spoke well usually, his actions didn’t always seem to follow suit, like earlier during the weapon sparring, when that man called Di Yun displayed elegant swordsmanship, overpowering not just Wei Gongyan but also making himself struggle without using Bloodline Power.

Subsequently, pressured, Wei Gongyan actually activated his Bloodline Power and sent his opponent’s sword flying, fortunately, the referee wasn’t astute enough to notice, or they might have been exposed on the spot.

Reminding this guy now seemed like he wasn’t taking it in.

Weichi Feihu felt weary, suddenly thinking that sending Wei Gongzhan to Daqing Mountain and letting this guy follow him might have been too hasty a decision.

Maybe... switch them?

Since the two had been assigned to different camps and were separated upon reporting in, Weichi Feihu hadn’t seen him again by the time they lined up for the evening meal, growing increasingly anxious.

If not for the fragrant meat in his hand, he would have wanted to go looking for him right away.

"Brother, you’ve been assigned to this camp too?"

While he was conflicted, a familiar voice came through. Setting down his meat strip, Weichi Feihu frowned and looked up to see a tall, robust man - the same person he had sparred with during the day.

"Ah, it’s you!" Weichi Feihu broke into a smile instantly.

The man was the same one who had displayed excellent swordsmanship on the Martial Arts Stage during the day, forcing both him and Wei Gongyan into an embarrassing predicament. He remembered... his name was probably Di Yun...

"Brother, your swordsmanship is truly impressive!"

Weichi Feihu’s praise was sincere. When he used to practice basic skills, although his elders taught him, it was an overwhelming kind of teaching, not like the bout today, with a sense of struggle for victory.

He hadn’t fought so freely in a long time, even though he had to hold back his Bloodline Power.

The opponent’s capability did impress him.

"Brother, you’re not too shabby yourself!" The burly man smiled and took a seat: "You’re not even twenty, right? Your skills are truly remarkable. If it weren’t for my years of battle on the frontlines, I might not have lasted three moves against you ten years ago!"

"Oh, come on... you flatter me too much," Weichi Feihu blushed at the compliment.

Back in the Capital, people often praised him since he was gifted, but most did so because of his family status and his elders, often praising his Bloodline purity while overlooking the skills he had honed over the years.

Now, for the first time, someone acknowledged his skills beyond his Bloodline, which truly surprised and pleased him, immediately endearing him to the man before him!

"Your name was Di Yun, right, Big Brother?"

"Yes, I’m Di Yun. What’s your name, brother?"

"I’m... Huang Feihu!"

"Oh, good name!" Di Yun laughed heartily: "Young brother, your skills truly live up to that name!"

"Your skills are also remarkable," Weichi Feihu said with genuine laughter: "It’s truly a pity that you didn’t secure first place at the Martial Arts Stage."

"Yeah, getting beaten down by someone without Bloodline Power is indeed a bit embarrassing." Di Yun dismissed with a wave of his hand and downed the meat porridge in his hand.

"Blood... Bloodline Power?" Weichi Feihu paused, hearing the term for the first time.

"If you can’t win, you use Bloodline Power – that makes you useless in our eyes!" Di Yun said with a sneer: "You’re new here, but you’ll soon understand that in our ranks... it’s not a place where people with just Bloodline Power can survive!"

Weichi Feihu: "...."