" Little Gai! Haven't you made a decision yet?"
Upon encountering Gai Nie, who had returned weary from his journey, at the palace gate, Wang Hao couldn't help but ask.
Since becoming wary of Gai Nie, Ying Zheng, while still trusting him, has repeatedly sent him out on missions, no longer keeping him as a close bodyguard who was with him every Tokiomi of the day as before.
This time, Gai Nie has returned after completing his mission, and if possible, he would rather not let this person end up on his opposite side.
After all, he admired this character when he watched the anime, and he was indeed a talented individual with exceptional Sword Dao skills; with proper training, he could become a top-tier fighter.
Unfortunately, this young man is incredibly stubborn and has yet to swear true allegiance to Ying Zheng, still bearing the title of a disciple of Ghost Valley.
Clearly, in his mind, Ghost Valley was more important than the Great Qin, which is not a good sign.
Imagine if, in the future, Guiguzi, Little Gai's master, appeared and demanded that this guy betray the Great Qin. What choice would he make? And what impact would that have on them?
So let alone Brother Zheng, even Wang Hao doesn't dare to trust this guy, lest he be tricked someday.
Gai Nie pursed his lips and remained silent as he walked toward the main hall of the Qin Palace to report back, clearly still upholding his identity as a disciple of the Ghost Valley School.
"The sectarian mentality is indeed unacceptable!"
With a sigh, Wang Hao took out a mask and put it on.
This trip must be kept secret, and his identity cannot be easily exposed, otherwise it would be bad if those two crazy women Eastern Lord Yan Fei and Snow Maiden, found out.
Although he can also disguise himself, compared to the mystery and high-class style of wearing a mask, disguise is still somewhat lacking.
Soon Wang Hao arrived at a mountain range outside Xianyang City, where the Academy of Sciences was located, surrounded by tens of thousands of troops and numerous Shadow Guards.
"Is this the spaceship you built? Does it have a name?"
Looking at the enormous creature before him, Wang Hao couldn't help but marvel at Gongshu Chou.
This is a ship, but it is not a simple ship. It is an all-around warship capable of sailing in three environments: sea, land, and air. Moreover, it is quite large, measuring over a thousand feet in size.
"This giant ship was only completed half a month ago and does not yet have a name. We humbly request that the Imperial Advisor bestow a name upon it."
Gongshu Chou smiled obsequiously, offering a flattering remark that was neither too much nor too little.
He was aware of the mysterious Grand Preceptor's status in the King of Qin's eyes; even Zhao Gao had to treat him with such respect. In the entire Great Qin, he was undoubtedly a top figure, second only to the King.
Moreover, it is said that this was the very person who advised the King of Qin, inviting the Gongshu Household Lineage to join the State of Qin Academy of Sciences.
With the strong support of the Qin State, the Gongshu Clan has seen a surge in strength over the past six months, especially after receiving those teaching materials and divine books from the Grand Preceptor, which has multiplied the clan's resources many times over.
He no longer regards the Mo Mohist School, his former formidable enemy, as a threat. The Gongshu Household Lineage will certainly remember this kindness.
"This type of warship will be classified as part of the Imperial Battleship series, with the true name Vanguard!"
After thinking for a moment, Wang Hao gave a name.
" Imperial Battleship Vanguard, what a great name!"
Gongshu Chou muttered to himself and quickly offered some flattery, determined to seize every opportunity to curry favor with this powerful figure.
"Now that everything is ready, let's set off!"
Glancing at the pitch-black night, Wang Hao decided not to delay.
After all, the situation in Loulan is unknown, and it would be best to get there as soon as possible to avoid any unforeseen complications.
"Yes!"
"Sir, order the ship to set sail!"
Gongshu Chou and accepted the order, immediately commanding the Imperial Battleship Vanguard to be launched.
Not long after, the entire Vanguard shuddered slightly, then floated up and finally came to rest at a height of tens of thousands of feet in the sky.
"Not bad! Your Gongshu Clan actually managed to train ten thousand Body Refinement artists to cultivate the Seven Po Magnetic Field to a minor level in just six months!"
Standing on the deck of the Vanguard, Wang Hao sensed the situation inside the Vanguard and gained a deeper understanding of the Gongshu Clan's resources.
Although he has not yet created a truly Perfect Cultivation System, he has slightly modified some basic cultivation methods and passed them all on to Brother Zheng, allowing him to arrange them as he sees fit. The Gongshu Clan, however, has put a lot of effort into the Seven Po Magnetic Field Cultivation Method.
In a mere six months, they managed to cultivate over ten thousand martial artists to the minor completion level of the Seven Po Magnetic Field Cultivation Method, and then used these ten thousand martial artists together to power the Imperial Battleship Vanguard.
This foundation is undeniably strong!
"Thanks to the profound mystery of the cultivation technique bestowed upon me by His Majesty!"
Gongshu Chou's smile stretched almost to his ears, clearly showing his pride in this achievement.
The Gongshu Clan itself had a large number of vassals, all of whom cultivated Body Refinement arts and served the Gongshu Clan exclusively.
After all, compared to the earthen and stone mechanisms of the Mohist School, the Gongshu Clan was more skilled in bronze mechanisms, and to forge bronze, a large number of strongmen were needed, which was indispensable.
You think I'm praising you?
Wang Hao glanced sideways at Gongshu Chou on his face.
"Please enlighten me, Your Excellency!"
His expression froze, Gongshu Chou hurriedly and humbly asked for guidance. He dared not offend this powerful figure, especially since the other party seemed to have a hidden meaning in his words.
"The future belongs to the rule of law. Although sects and families can survive, they must abide by the rule of law. You should change your internal rules as soon as possible, lest you violate the laws of Great Qin and be executed along with your entire family one day."
Finally, let me remind you, Brother Zheng is notoriously petty when it comes to power. Didn't you see I didn't even ask Brother Zheng for any real power?
Having a completely independent power within the empire is a threat. I reckon your Gongshu Clan is already on Brother Zheng's radar. You should understand what I mean!
The Gongshu Household Lineage is undoubtedly a rare talent, and he doesn't want these guys to ruin him in the future, so he's speaking up to give them a warning now. Whether they listen or not is none of his business.
"Thank you for your guidance, Grand Preceptor. After this trip to Loulan, we will begin revising our family rules and hand over all our warriors to His Majesty."
Cold sweat covered Gongshu Chou's entire body, and he quickly said he understood.
He had been too complacent before, but now that he thinks about it carefully, summoning his tens of thousands of elite auxiliary warriors outside Xianyang City was indeed a suicidal move, especially since he had also taught them the Seven Po Magnetic Field Cultivation Method, which increased the strength of the tens of thousands of warriors by more than ten times.
This is clearly close to crossing the king's bottom line, and once that line is crossed, the fate of the Gongshu Clan is predictable.
We must remember that Lü Buwei's example serves as a stark warning!
Seeing that Gongshu Chou was so pragmatic, Wang Hao, looking at him with an air of aptitude, thought for a moment and then added, "Let me give you a heads-up: if you really want to enter the core of the empire in the future, you'd better make sure your background is clean. Don't get involved in forming cliques or factions; those little bit of benefits and power are insignificant compared to real strength."
After saying that, Wang Hao ignored Gongshu Chou and unleashed his Seven Po Magnetic Field, pushing the speed of the Imperial Battleship Vanguard to its limit, even breaking the sound barrier.
Although Gongshu Chou had gathered tens of thousands of Body Refinement artists to cultivate the Seven Po Magnetic Field, their cultivation level was ultimately too low. Although they could levitate the warship tens of thousands of feet in the air, that was already their limit. Even if they still had the spare power to propel the Vanguard forward, the speed was rather pathetic.
At this rate, it would take at least a month to reach Loulan, and he couldn't wait that long.
In the latter half of the night, Wang Hao piloted the Vanguard to land in a desert. In the endless desert stood a solitary camp, which was the temporary base set up by the Net Trap secret agents.
"Greetings, Your Excellency the Imperial Advisor!"
The secret agent from Net Trap glanced at Wang Hao's attire and immediately bowed and knelt down.
"He came from Loulan? What about the sphere he was hiding?"
Glancing at the unconscious young man in the makeshift tent, judging from his exotic attire, he should be the Loulan person mentioned in the intelligence report.
Although the Loulan person depicted in the Legend of Qin storyline is an old man, this is a real world, and he certainly doesn't believe that the minor characters shown in the storyline would actually appear, not to mention that the current time is very different from the storyline's time.
"Your Excellency, please forgive me. That mysterious sphere was stolen by a group of mysterious people, and the leader of them..."
The spy from Net Trap hesitated halfway through his sentence, as if he was considering something.
"Explain!"
Wang Hao became somewhat interested. Although he had long anticipated that this trip to Loulan would not be too smooth, he did not expect that even though he had traveled at all his might, he would still be a step too late.
"The leader looks very much like the king's swordsmanship instructor, Gai Nie. His swordsmanship is also similar to what was recorded in the intelligence, but much stronger. He is also quite old, appearing to be around forty years old."
The spy from Net Trap recounted all the information he knew in one breath, then lowered his head and remained silent.
This intelligence involves the king's swordsmanship instructor, Gai Nie; if handled poorly, it could bring about a great disaster.
If he hadn't confirmed dozens of intelligence reports during this period, he really wouldn't have dared to tell this Grand Preceptor.
"An older version of Gai Nie?"
Wang Hao was stunned. He had considered many possibilities, but he never expected it to be like this.
"Aside from the older, middle-aged version of Gai Nie, what are the distinguishing features of the other characters?"
"There were also three masked youths, two men and one woman. The two young men each wielded a long sword without a blade, which was very similar to the Ink Eyebrow wielded by the great masters of the Mohist School throughout the ages. The other man was tall and held a double-edged halberd with a coiled dragon design."
The woman wielded a single-edged longsword, and all four of them were extremely powerful. If they hadn't been somewhat wary, we would likely have been wiped out long ago.
Seeing that Wang Hao didn't seem to blame him, the secret agents of Net Trap breathed a sigh of relief and quickly reported the rest of the information.
"..."
Upon hearing these characteristics, Wang Hao covered his face in frustration, having already guessed the identities of those people.
Did they leave anything behind?
Taking a deep breath, Wang Hao temporarily suppressed his wild guess. Finding that group and Loulan was the most important thing now. Once he met them, the Big White should come out.
"The young man who held the Ink Eyebrow left behind this chewed blade of grass!"
The secret agent from Net Trap seemed to have been prepared. He took out a small piece of grass wrapped in layers of animal hide from his bosom. However, the grass was already withered and yellow, indicating that quite some time had passed. There were teeth marks on the grass stem, which should have been left by the other party habitually holding it in their mouth.
"It's barely usable!"
After a while, Wang Hao extracted a barely perceptible aura from the grass and quickly sensed it using his secret technique.
"Come up here, give chase!"
Without saying much, Wang Hao turned back to the Vanguard, Net Trap spy quickly carried the Loulan youth onto the Vanguard as well.
Wang Hao took some time to examine the memories of the young man from Loulan and discovered the general location of the entrance to Loulan, which was indeed the same as the location he had sensed using the secret method earlier.
Clearly, that group was also heading towards Loulan.