Laying Chess Piece Dou Three (I)

White Tiger Duke, Dai Hao.

Commander-in-chief of a million-strong army in the Northern Military Region of the Star Luo Empire.

A titled Douluo who obeys orders but not commands.

In the mouth of the Du Busi, however, it was just a Little Tiger.

The ratings are quite low.

Such a ridiculous title is indeed laughable, but upon reflection, it seems there's nothing to laugh about, because it's the truth. Compared to the Level 98 Du Busi, Dai Hao, who is currently only level 93, is as fragile as a dog. Even with sharp teeth, he can at most make Du Busi bleed a little and break the skin. Even if Dai Hao wanted to bite off a piece of flesh, it would be impossible.

Besides, Du Busi's seniority is evident here.

If Du Busi, he would have married and had children in his twenties or thirties, just like a normal person. If his descendants had also married and had children in their twenties or thirties, his great-grandson would probably be about the same age as Dai Hao now.

Moreover, even disregarding seniority.

Regardless of the individual abilities mentioned earlier.

Even considering only their identities and statuses, Dai Hao is still at a disadvantage.

He was merely the commander-in-chief of the Northern Military Region.

He had a million archers under his command.

They could outwardly comply with but inwardly defy the orders of the Xingluo Royal Family.

But what if the Du Busi you?

The Grand Marshal of the Three Armies of the Heavenly Soul Empire Temperance all standard armed forces within the Heavenly Soul Empire. With a single command, over three million soldiers obey his orders. The Heavenly Soul Imperial Family holds him in high esteem, and successive Heavenly Soul Empire emperors have treated him as an equal. He wields the greatest power with the least effort, balancing all noble forces within the Heavenly Soul Empire, and enjoys the deep trust of the Heavenly Soul Imperial Family.

Therefore, it is said that even a minor official is inferior to a prime minister. Although Long Aotian is only a Soul King, he is only sixteen years old. Young and impetuous, when he heard his teacher, Du Busi, say this, he still subconsciously laughed. His gaze towards Dai Hao showed no awe, only contempt and disdain, completely ignoring the difference in strength.

This made White Tiger Duke Dai Hao of the White Tiger, who had noticed that he was being watched, mainly because Long Aotian's skill in concealing his gaze was not good enough, furrow his brows and fill his eyes with displeasure and killing intent after following the gaze and locking onto Long Aotian.

However, only in the next second.

Dai Hao then suppressed his murderous intent.

Because he saw the burly figure standing to Long Aotian's left front.

Although he looks old, no one dares to underestimate Super Douluo. He is also known as the most promising person to take that step and become the first Level 98 titled Douluo to step into the Limit Realm after Mu En, Long Xiaoyao, Ye Xishui and other top powerhouses.

The master of the Body Sect Du Busi!

"That arrogant brat..." Dai Hao's eye twitched slightly. After mentally cursing Long Aotian, this ignorant and presumptuous junior, he rationally ignored these trivial details and focused his attention back on the tightly closed door in front of him. He automatically blocked out the surrounding noise and pondered in his mind, "According to Yao Heng, Yuhao harbors a lot of hatred for the Duke's Mansion, but his hatred can be divided into three parts. The first part is his resentment towards the Madam, the second part is his resentment towards me, his father, and the third part is his hatred towards Hua Bin... Huo Yun'er, Huo Yun'er, you've really left me with a big problem. If only you had this little bit of cleverness earlier... Never mind, what's done is done, there's no use thinking about it now. The most urgent thing is to address these three aspects, meet the child's needs, and make sure he returns to the Duke's Mansion!"

Du Busi doesn't know what Dai Hao is thinking.

Otherwise, he would definitely feel nauseous.

No one else present knew what Dai Hao was thinking.

But that didn't stop them from standing outside the door.

Standing at the entrance/exit of this competition venue.

Waiting for Huo Yuhao to come out.

Inside the Players' Lounge, Huo Yuhao was also contemplating his next move: how to politely but directly refuse these people, or perhaps not entirely refuse them. "Brother Qingcang, could you give me some advice on this?"

"Suggestion?"

"What suggestions?"

Ye Qingcang was completely unsurprised that Huo Yuhao was blocked in his room by invitations from various powerful figures outside before he even left the lounge. The invitations were all phrased as if they wanted to invite Huo Yuhao to various places for a chat.

Back then, after the Heaven Dou Palace Coup...

The Crown Prince's Residence, where Qian Renxue resides, is also a good place.

Even the Blue Tyrant Academy, which he wasn't there at the time.

They all received a large number of invitations.

At that time, the number of invitations was so great that they could be described as stacks, piles, and piles, totaling no less than five thousand. It can be said that everyone, from royalty and nobles to academies and sects, to officials and merchants, was trying to find excuses to get on board with the Blue Tyrant Academy and avoid being swept away in the storm that had already arrived.

Currently, Huo Yuhao has only received a dozen or so.

It's not even a fraction of what Blue Tyrant Academy received back then.

Of course, these invitations are not the same as those invitations. The dozen or so invitations that Huo Yuhao received are all of great importance. Behind each invitation is one or more Title Douluo, and the same applies to Ninth Order transcendents.

Therefore, the kind of action Ye Qingcang took back then, ordering everything to be burned, is not something that can be replicated now. Although Ye Qingcang suffered the consequences after giving the order, because among these invitations was one from Qian Renxue inviting Blue Tyrant Academy to support her at the palace banquet, which Ye Qingcang burned without even looking at it, almost making Qian Renxue lose face that night. Countless people at that banquet speculated that she, a newcomer, was at odds with the Blue Tyrant Academy, the local power.

In the post-event review.

That is, after Ye Qingcang met Jiang Nannan, he returned to Dou One from Dou Two.

Qian Renxue often brought this up to tease her.

This indicated that it had a significant impact on her subsequent work in stabilizing public sentiment.

Of course, in the end it was just talk.

It's like they're exposing each other's secrets.

Just as Ye Qingcang being sarcastic and cryptic, Qian Renxue was also a filial daughter, taking over the remains of her ancestors and having her friend Edo Tensei.

But for Huo Yuhao...

The consequences of this matter are not something to be taken lightly.

It's not something that can be resolved with a few sarcastic remarks.

"Choosing one option is equivalent to offending others."

"Selecting everyone is the same as not selecting anyone."

"That's equivalent to offending everyone."

"To refuse someone is to offend them."

"To reject a group of people is to offend them all."

Even if it's a polite refusal... it just makes the process look better and saves face for everyone, but the result is still offending people.

Xiao Xiao sighed from the bottom of her heart.

Flipping through the invitation in his hand, then glancing at the pile of invitations beside Huo Yuhao, he casually tossed his invitation onto the top of the pile, put his hands on his hips, and looked at Huo Yuhao, who seemed lost in thought, with a sigh. "Class monitor, can you please be serious? There are so many Title Douluo and Ninth Order experts standing outside... Which one do you want to choose? Which one don't you want to choose? Or do you want them all or none of them? Just give us a straight answer, okay?"

"Huh?" Huo Yuhao looked up sharply, staring at the speechless Xiao Xiao. After a few seconds of silence, he recalled what Xiao Xiao had just said. He opened his mouth, then hesitated for another two or three seconds before finally organizing his thoughts. He handed the invitation to the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, which he had been caressing for a long time, to Xiao Xiao. Then, he looked at Ye Qingcang: "I'm sorry, Brother Qingcang. I was just thinking about some past events, and I kept rambling on... Anyway, I'd like to hear your opinion on this matter. Which people can I contact, which can't I contact, which I should contact, and which I shouldn't contact... I... right now, I'm completely clueless about all of this..."

That's the truth.

Just like a nouveau riche.

A narrow vision leads to a rapid collapse.

Moreover, Huo Yuhao's choice of whom to seek help was also very appropriate.

In this respect, whether it's Wang Dong'er, Xiao Xiao, or even Electrolux and Sky Dream Ice Worm, none of them can compare to Ye Qingcang. Sky Dream Ice Worm only knows the trivial matters of the Far North and the Star Dou Great Forest, Electrolux only knows the history of the God Seal Star because his era is too ancient. Wang Dong'er and Xiao Xiao have a good ability to accept information, but Huo Yuhao can also access the same things they can.

Only Ye Qingcang.

They have a deep understanding of these worlds and forces.

However, for Ye Qingcang, giving advice rashly was not his style. "In this matter, I need to ask you a few questions first, and then, based on your answers to these questions, I will make further selections... Don't look confused. Simply put, at your current level, accepting or refusing these invitations will not pose any risk. Just think of it this way: if someone dares to send people to target you because you refused, you can switch sides and join that person's enemy... Believe me, no one would be so foolish as to force a neutral person into the arms of the enemy."

"Um, can I interject?" Xiao Xiao raised her hand curiously, asking without hesitation, "My father once told me a story, I've almost forgotten the details, but the gist of it was... when both sides clearly express goodwill towards you, you'd better choose one side, otherwise, you'll be seen as a fence-sitter and targeted by both sides... If the class monitor remains neutral, won't the forces behind these invitations also target him?"

Wang Dong'er sneered and shook her head slightly.

He took over Xiao Xiao's question.

Before Ye Qingcang could answer, she spoke first, explaining on Ye Qingcang behalf, "Xiao Xiao, you're overthinking it. The reason a fence-sitter is targeted is because it's a fence-sitter, wavering and indecisive. Moreover, the dispute only involves the two sides; there's no third-party force... To put it bluntly, suppose the White Tiger Duke's Mansion and the Xingluo Royal Family were both vying for Yuhao, hoping Yuhao would take a stand. Yuhao doesn't have any special status or talent, so indeed, he can't not take sides, because the Xingluo Royal Family won't allow the White Tiger Duke's Mansion to reclaim this weakness, and the White Tiger Duke's Mansion won't allow the Xingluo Royal Family to exploit this weakness and sell it at a high price—that would be suicide... However, right now, Yuhao is that Grim Reaper God's disciple, and his own talent is quite outstanding. If the White Tiger Duke's Mansion attacks him, he can turn around and join the Body Sect, uniting with the Xingluo Royal Family, leaving the White Tiger Duke's Mansion with only one path: death. If the Xingluo Royal Family attacks him, he can turn around the Shrek Academy, and with the Shrek Academy's help, he can also destroy the Xingluo Royal Family."

After saying that, Wang Dong'er took a sip of water to moisten her lips.

It was as if she had started talking non-stop.

He then readily offered up all the possible follow-up schemes he could think of, "As far as I know, a noble family like White Tiger Duke is unlikely to have only one child. Even illegitimate children are still children, right...? So, even then, don't worry about White Tiger Duke getting away with it. The elders of the Shrek Academy definitely won't mind getting their hands dirty and eliminating Dai Hao's lineage. They'll either let you become emperor, changing Dai to Huo, or if you're a perfectionist, like when you clean a house, leaving no corner untouched, you can play the Xu Family —leave one illegitimate son alive, first letting him ascend the throne, signifying..." "Restore the throne to the legitimate heir, and then have this illegitimate son emulate the abdication ceremony from over four thousand years ago— the Dai Family's abdication to the Xu Family —and have him abdicate the throne to you... Don't worry about not being able to persuade him to cooperate. Just tell him, 'I'll spare your life, and after your abdication, I'll give you a dukedom...' As far as I know, these illegitimate sons originally had no right of inheritance. One path is life, where they can inherit the basic assets of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, something they didn't originally possess; the other is death, where you can simply replace him with a puppet ruler, or even rule as regent yourself... The specific operation is quite simple, okay?"

"Cough cough cough..."

Huo Yuhao choked on his own saliva.

Xiao Xiao was the same.

Even Electrolux, who resides in Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Space, couldn't help but cough upon hearing Wang Dong'er's words.

There's no way around it, this approach is too unconventional.

It's like someone giving you a nine-linked ring.

Then you broke this thing in half and took it apart.

Theoretically, there's nothing wrong with it.

It was indeed opened.

But you really can't do this!

That's not very ethical, lady!

Ye Qingcang had a strange sense of déjà vu. He glanced at Wang Dong'er, remained silent for a couple of seconds, and then asked, "Did Violet tell you these tricks... or did Qian Renxue tell you?"

"Sister Wei gave me a general overview."

"I also added my own touches."

"The principle should be like this."

"After the adaptation... it should still be feasible, right?"

Wang Dong'er pinched her chin uncertainly, her posture resembling the habitual thinking gesture of a primary school detective solving a case. However, only the gesture was similar; everything else was different.

"The adaptation is very well done."

Ye Qingcang never hesitated to praise himself.

In addition, regarding matters such as rebellion, treason, and palace coups.

Whether it's him or Qian Renxue.

You could say he's a seasoned pro with prior experience.

Violet had been by his side for many years and knew the details. It was not surprising that Wang Dong'er had found out about this palace coup that had ended. What was remarkable was Wang Dong'er's ability to apply what she had learned, and that was why he praised Wang Dong'er.

However, the core of the topic still revolved around Huo Yuhao, so Ye Qingcang steered the conversation back to Huo Yuhao: "What Wang Dong'er just said was indeed somewhat extreme, but the logic behind it is sound. Ultimately, don't look at what others promise you; what matters is whether you can seize the initiative... I know you always want to vindicate your mother, but it's not just the White Tiger Duke's Mansion that counts as vindication, nor is it only the Xingluo Royal Family ... As long as you become a strong person, a strong person capable of suppressing the world, then not only you, but even your mother will be vindicated, and you might even be given some ridiculous origins, such as your mother having intercourse with Deity in her sleep and giving birth to you, making you the son of Deity ... In short, public opinion can be deceiving. When you become strong enough to call a deer a horse, whether it's others praising your mother or you praising her, it will become an undeniable fact. How can the mere White Tiger Duke vindicate her then?"

"Yes, that's right!"

"Does he even deserve it?"

"Just a duke!"

"Even an emperor is not qualified to comment on your aunt!"

Wang Dong'er added fuel to the fire.