Beheading Orders and a Third Party
"Father..."
"A letter from the commandery governor says he wants you to inspect it personally."
Qin Xiao's voice-
Arrived unseasonably at that moment. Hearing this, Qin Lu raised an eyebrow, took the envelope, and quickly scanned it once, a trace of unexpected emotion appearing in his eyes...
"This is..."
"Preparing to make a move?"
"That Core Formation True Person in Daliang has passed away? Or could it be... merely a probe?"
Qin Lu muttered to himself, various thoughts emerging endlessly for a time...
According to the commandery governor's meaning-
The Xiashang Dao Academy, the Fengyuan Ji Family, and the Jinxuan Dao Sect had jointly formulated a decapitation operation, and the target was: the Zhengyuan Dao District in the southern part of the Daliang State...
The primary purpose was to use small squads of elites to annihilate the Qi Condensation cultivators of the Zhengyuan Dao District...
Causing the border to become unstable and tearing open the defense line.
Then pressing down with a large army to plot the entire Jinyuan Dao District with this, and perhaps higher-level schemes were involved within it...
Qin Lu could only interpret it this way.
He judged this operation to be a probe!
Besieging a point to hit reinforcements and wiping out subordinate forces was done out of convenience instead...
Everyone knew that the Daliang Core Formation True Person had little lifespan left.
Yet whether the person was truly dead or not, no one was clear. If a Core Formation True Person forcibly probed and happened not to be dead, wouldn't that be walking right up to the door...
To deliver food to someone?
If things went poorly, penetrating deep into enemy territory and being trapped there was entirely possible...
One would also be resented by that person, and the affiliated forces along with them would face undeserved catastrophe, just like a bomb that could detonate...
Yet it must not detonate in one's own hands!
Following this line of reasoning-
The True Persons of various factions presumably were unwilling to take this risk to tear off face...
Therefore-they resorted to this inferior plan.
Letting subordinate forces do the probing; as long as it wasn't one's own people dying, then everything was easy to discuss!
If it succeeded, the reality of Daliang could be probed; if it failed, Daliang could be gradually nibbled away, like boiling a frog in warm water, advancing steadily and firmly...
As for the Great Zhou State.
Advancing or retreating were both viable, and probing the true strength was best!
"This Zhuo Wen, I am taking him away."
"Family matters are left to you; be sure not to be careless and simply hold Bachuan firmly..."
"Right."
"Have your second younger brother make a trip to Ba Lake. Someone is poisoning the water source; see if it can be neutralized as quickly as possible, and dispatch others to keep watch in the city..."
"Especially pay close attention to unfamiliar faces or people of unknown origin."
"In addition, spread more rumors outside..."
"Appropriately embellish our lineage's origin and the process of its rise..."
"And also..."
Qin Lu gave many instructions.
Every word revealed his care for the family. In the end, he patted Qin Xiao's shoulder and, just like in childhood, stroked Qin Xiao's face...
"This trip, the path ahead is unknown."
"Should your father meet with disaster, you must take my place and properly look upon this era..."
"Though you are young, you are most like your father."
"Should matters prove impossible, take your younger brothers and flee to the frontier to seek another way out; you must find a way to stay alive..."
Qin Lu spoke with detachment-
Each time conveying his concern in the most understated manner...
Perhaps he had even forgotten his past life.
Having reached this lifetime, it was time to display some true ability!
With these words ending-
Qin Lu seized Zhuo Wen and stepped into the void, leaving behind a thin figure that could not be called imposing, yet resembled a pillar supporting the heavens...
Qin Xiao gazed up at the vault of heaven and bowed deeply toward it:
"This child..."
"Will strictly obey Father's teachings!"
Several days later-Longchuan Prefecture City-a certain nameless peak.
"The head magistrate position of the Longchuan Prefecture Office, attendant of the Hundred Arts Office, first-rank alchemist, Qi Condensation Realm cultivator, and head of the Beichuan Qin Family, Qin Lu, has arrived!"
Hearing this long string of titles-
Quite a few cultivators cast sideways glances over. Seeing that he was merely at the Qi Condensation Second Layer, they withdrew their gazes again, evidently finding this cultivation realm...
Somewhat lacking in the eyes of this group of people.
Qin Lu stepped onto the mountain summit and, looking at the hundreds of figures, could not help feeling a degree of astonishment...
Longchuan Prefecture, counting the Qin Clan, totaled merely seven Qi Condensation forces, plus several cultivators belonging to the state offices, amounting to fewer than twenty in all.
Yet looking at this lineup-
I'm afraid every Qi Condensation force within Xuan Prefecture had received the mobilization order!
"Fellow Daoist Qin, it has been a long time!"
Hearing the voice-
Qin Lu turned around to see Huang Liang and responded with a polite bow in passing...
Seeing this, the latter returned the greeting to acknowledge it as well, then walked briskly toward him and said:
"Fellow Daoist Qin, come, come, come!"
"The cultivators of our Longchuan Prefecture are all over here; we were just waiting for you!"
As he spoke-
Qin Lu was pulled along by Huang Liang.
Without leaving him any space for polite refusal, Huang Liang headed toward the side of the mountain...
Before the time for an incense stick could burn.
Qin Lu spied from afar by the cliff edge eight cultivators of vastly differing styles, among whom was Qin Lu's in-law, Zhang Xuan of the Xuan River Zhang Clan...
As well as Hundred Arts Office Official: Gongsun Zhe! Alongside him was Longchuan Hundred Arts Office Director: Wu Yanmian!
Only, the atmosphere somehow seemed a bit strange...
"This is Qin Lu, Fellow Daoist Qin!"
"He is the Sima who was promoted within the prefecture in previous years, and he is also a grandmaster of the four arts!"
Following Huang Liang's introduction-
The crowd cast their gazes over one after another, immediately bringing forth an oppressive wave of spiritual pressure. Facing the pressure exerted by the group, Qin Lu frowned, yet remained entirely without fear!
Neither servile nor overbearing, he bowed to each of them in turn, then addressed the assembly:
"Qin Lu is here and greets you all!"
Seeing this, the crowd understood in their hearts.
Some slightly nodded to show goodwill, some returned the greeting as a courteous response, while others did not even raise their eyelids, paying him not the slightest regard...
And even looking at him with disdain!
Qin Lu glanced over roughly-
And saw that the crowd was faintly divided into two factions...
With fewer than ten cultivators present, they were actually split into two separate forces, giving Qin Lu quite a shock...
"Fellow Daoist Huang, what is going on here?"
Hearing Qin Lu's inquiry, Huang Liang pulled him aside...
Accompanied along with them was Zhang Xuan!
Seeing that everyone had gathered-
Huang Liang gave a grand wave of his hand, and a set of isolation array flags enveloped the three of them!
"Fellow Daoist Zhang, Fellow Daoist Huang, what are you two doing?"
Qin Lu was stunned, completely unaware of what had happened, and felt somewhat at a loss...
Seeing this-
Huang Liang then explained to him:
"Fellow Daoist Qin, ever since you reached Qi Condensation, you have remained hoarded up inside Yingchuan to cultivate bitterly..."
"It is only natural that you would not know of this."
As Huang Liang spoke, he summoned a set of tea table and chairs, motioning for the two to be seated, and thereupon poured each of them a cup of spiritual tea before saying:
"There is nothing"
"Actually so convoluted to this. It is nothing more than a clash between local powerful clans and central authority."
"The local powerful clans are the numerous local Immortal Clans. In order to maintain local stability, the imperial court delegates governance rights down to the localities..."
"This is also the reason Prefecture posts are all held by lineage cultivators."
"In truth, it is merely a title."
"Specific administrative arrangements are handed over to mortal officials or serve as places for lineage disciples to undergo trials; they carry no real weight..."
"Such as my Huanglian Huang Family, the Xuan River Zhang Clan, and the Beichuan Qin Family belong to this category."