The Battle Begins
"Even if I explained it, you wouldn't understand. From what I can see, this 'poison of faith' cannot distort the inner rules of a deity, but it can confuse His consciousness and judgment, causing Him to lose His rationality. Even if He still acts according to the original rules, He may do things that contradict expectations due to His extreme actions."
"Isn't this just mental illness?"
"... There's no point in arguing with a boorish person like you who has no knowledge of literature." The Nether Master indicated that he didn't want to talk to you anymore and turned to leave.
Shentu Chuang called out, "The Nation of Valor are about to take action. The agreed date is the day after tomorrow. We must make a bigger splash to attract everyone's attention, especially the Mohist Knight Guard. We can't let them be idle."
"Don't worry, the situation in France is so chaotic. In comparison, there's been no movement at all in Nation of Valor. As long as the leader of the Mohist Knight Guard is a 'sharp-eyed' person, he should know where to focus his efforts. Making the God of Law sick isn't just a whim of mine; it's to get Him to protect us. Otherwise, with our limited strength, we can't possibly deal with the large influx of Mohist Knight Guard."
Outside the bar's private room, the agreed-upon knock sounded. Si Ming opened the door, Cuan Er, dressed in disguise, immediately slipped in.
"How is it? Have you made contact?" Si Ming asked anxiously.
Cuan Er shook his head and said, "All the Mohist Knight Guard branches in Capital Prefecture have been sealed off, and all Mohist Knight Guard members have been expelled. Telephone lines have been cut off, and all major transportation routes, including the railway, are heavily guarded. Messages simply cannot get out."
Si Ming angrily slammed his hand down. "The Remote Heaven Society truly insidious. They deliberately set up a trap to mislead me into thinking their target was Nation of Valor, when in fact it was a feint. After I sent out the wrong information, they trapped us here, preventing us from sending out accurate intelligence. Their timing is truly masterful; they completely anticipated our actions."
With Si Ming, Yan Jinghong, and Ling Huanxi's abilities, they could certainly break through the encirclement, but the current situation is tense, and it is a critical moment where every second counts. By the time they return to Su State and bring back the main force, it will be too late.
Murong Qing sighed, "Now we can only hope that our predecessors back home can see through the Remote Heaven Society's conspiracy... It shouldn't be too difficult, after all, the situation in France is so chaotic, even with preconceived notions, they should be on their guard."
Si Ming hesitated for a moment, but still decided to confess. "The chances are slim. When I delivered the intelligence, I already warned them about the possibility that the Remote Heaven Society deliberately cause unrest in France. Moreover, I was worried that my voice carried little weight, so I deliberately used my master's name. Therefore, the current chaos in France will only be seen by them as a deliberate attempt by the Remote Heaven Society create a diversion, and they won't pay too much attention to it, since I 'foresaw' it in advance."
He Qichang nodded and said, "Before coming to France, I heard from my superiors that the Mohist Knight Guard had reached a cooperation agreement with Nation of Valor and obtained entry permits. Their plan is to first lie low in Nation of Valor, remain inactive, and wait for the Remote Heaven Society to make a move, then cooperate with the Nation of Valor military to wipe them out in one fell swoop."
"Given the time constraints, it's too late to mobilize them..."
Si Ming felt extremely guilty. It was all because he had been too complacent and insisted on acting as a "wise strategist," which resulted in him being completely manipulated by the enemy.
I should have let Murong Qing the position; at least she's cautious, unlike me, who made a rash decision and now it's too late to regret it.
The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive. Yan Jinghong glanced at his dejected disciple and felt a little gratified. At least this trip hadn't been without its gains. His disciple had had too smooth a journey and hadn't encountered any major setbacks. Even when he had failed, it was mostly due to reasons beyond his control. This time, however, he was truly in charge of the commander-in-chief's responsibility. He thought that after this lesson, he would become more mature and humble.
Most talented martial artists go through a process of youthful arrogance, setbacks and reflection, maturity and understanding, and humility and restraint. The key is to overcome setbacks and learn from failures, rather than becoming discouraged.
Yan Jinghong had a lot of confidence in his apprentice in this regard; he didn't think Si Ming was the type to give up easily.
Murong Qing, not wanting to see Si Ming's self-reproachful expression, changed the subject, saying, "Waiting here is just a waste of time. If the Remote Heaven Society really intends to sever the Divine Pillar, they will act within the next two days. The key question now is whether we should believe Xia Guanxue's words?"
He Qichang said, "I think we can trust him. If he wanted to scheme against us, he wouldn't need to go through all this trouble; he could just surround us with the experts from the Remote Heaven Society."
Murong Qing questioned, "Defending on the spot and deliberately walking into a trap are two different things. If Remote Heaven Society to our door, we can easily detect it in advance. But if we go to his door on our own initiative and get trapped by the formation, then we will truly have no way to escape."
Doing nothing is the worst thing you can do.
Si Ming slapped his cheeks hard, trying to regain his composure. "Even if it's a trap, we have no choice but to try. After all, the tide is in their hands. If we want to turn the tide, we have to take risks and use unconventional tactics."
Murong Qing, "What do you plan to do?"
"My best tactic is definitely that one."
Chapter 525 War Begins
A side hall of the palace.
Su Yingbo, holding a bouquet of flowers, knocked on the door and said, "My wife, it's me."
"They've arrived."
Hearing the footsteps getting closer and closer inside the door, Su Yingbo waited anxiously. Although he had already confirmed that his wife had truly come back to life, he still had a sense of unreality. If he did not see his wife's face for three hours, he would feel a strong sense of unease.
Perhaps it's a lingering effect of having lost someone once... Thinking this to herself, Su Yingbo saw the door open, and then the face she had been longing for appeared.
"You got off work very early today."
Seeing his wife's gentle smile, Su Yingbo felt as if his parched soul had been nourished by sweet water, becoming vibrant again. Especially after entering the room where there were only the two of them, his body, which had felt extremely tired from carrying out an unwilling task, was quickly filled with energy.
"Work is never-ending, spending time with family is the most important thing." Su Yingbo handed over the flowers, "Here you go."
Ai Qing accepted the bouquet in surprise. It was her favorite white lilies. After smelling them, she asked, "What's gotten into you today? Why did you suddenly think of sending me flowers?"
Su Yingbo's heart skipped a beat, but she didn't show it on her face and said, "Have you forgotten? Today is our wedding anniversary."
Ai Qing was first taken aback, then said with a guilty look, "I'm sorry, I actually forgot something so important... My memory has been getting worse lately, I often forget things, I forget this or that, and I often have illusions, thinking I'm pregnant." As she spoke, she touched her flat stomach.
Su Yingbo comforted him, "You're still recovering, so it's normal to have some aftereffects. Remember to rest more in the future and don't overwork yourself. As for children... if you want one, we can make one."
A blush crept across Ai Qing's face as she playfully scolded, "You old rascal." Though she said this, she leaned closer and rested against her husband's chest.
"Things between husband and wife are perfectly normal."
Feeling the warmth against his chest, Su Yingbo was once again certain that his wife was everything to him.
After a while, the two separated, Ai Qing asked worriedly, "You have blood on you, you... you killed someone again?"
Although her husband was the Imperial Army, he was not a ruthless or aggressive person. Ai Qing vaguely remembered that her husband advanced to the Nascent Spirit Transformation through calligraphy, not martial arts. His interest in martial arts was only so-so. However, living in this era, learning martial arts was the general trend. It was fine if you didn't have talent, but those who did had talent would practice it. Otherwise, they would be regarded as freaks and ostracized, and would easily be bullied.
Her husband's master often lamented that if Su Yingbo had spent more time on martial arts, her achievements would have been far greater than they are now. However, her husband preferred to stay in his study writing calligraphy rather than wielding weapons in the training ground. For him, calligraphy was his true interest and ambition, while martial arts was merely a means of making a living, a job he had to do.
A person often spends more time at work than on their hobbies, but that doesn't mean they enjoy their work.
When her husband saw an injured animal by the roadside, he would stop to treat it. Such an action was completely out of character for him. Before he advanced to the Nascent Spirit Transformation, he was often ridiculed for being too kind-hearted. But it was precisely because of this that Ai Qing fell for him.
One is an ordinary person with only rudimentary skills, and the other is a martial arts master who has reached the pinnacle of Spirit Transformation. These two people, who should be worlds apart, are drawn together by their shared values.
"You haven't even practiced your handwriting lately... is it because of me?"