A Telegram from Mount Little Qingliang

"It's today! It's today!!"

Guo Baozhi excitedly muttered these words and got up from the ground.

He was covered in dust, surrounded by swirling dust, crumbling walls, and broken tiles and bricks.

This is located on the west side of Beijing, in Mount Little Qingliang.

Mount Little Qingliang is a spur of the Mount Taihang, but it is known as the head of the Taihang and has always been a place of spiritual beauty.

Whether it's sunny or cloudy, or any of the four seasons, the mountain scenery here is breathtaking.

The moonlight tonight, though not very bright, seems to appear even more gentle and beautiful when it shines on this mountain range.

Surrounded by flowering trees, with green and red leaves interspersed on the mountainside, there was originally an unremarkable little Daoist temple.

But now, this small Daoist temple has been completely destroyed.

Several tiled houses had collapsed, and the large house in the middle, which could barely be called a temple, was also dilapidated.

The rafters on the roof were mostly exposed, with only a few tiles remaining.

The only intact piece of furniture left in the main house is the altar table.

The pear branches, masks, and black jade floating above the offering table were all catching the moonlight leaking through the hole in the roof.

The front yard and the yard were also covered with marks that looked like they had been chopped by invisible knives and axes.

Guo Baozhi stood in the small courtyard in front of the house, wiped his face, and stared intently at the piece of black jade.

The jade pendant's shape was previously unclear, making it impossible to discern what it was intended to be carved into.

Now, under the moonlight and surrounded by an indescribable aura, the outlines on the jade pendant, some recessed and some raised, have become clearer in their overall shape.

He resembled an untamed Immortal, with long hair adorned with a slanted hairpin, wearing a light robe and loose belt, lounging lazily against a pile of skulls, holding a wine cup in his hand.

The cup is tilted slightly, making it unclear whether it contains wine or not, or whether it's a sacrifice to the moon or a sacrifice to a skeleton.

But just seeing the jade pendant filled me with an inexplicable joy, and I couldn't help but shed tears.

It's been over a year.

The Ghost King finally regained his Divine Power of Sorrow and Joy.

The supernatural power bestowed upon him by the Ghost King was originally meant to control the sorrow of others while enjoying joy himself.

Sorrow and joy, their uses are endless.

However, ever since the Ghost King suffered a severe injury, Guo Baozhi's supernatural powers have become less effective, and he often suffers from melancholy and sorrow, unable to extricate himself from it.

That feeling of striving only to be thwarted, of declaring something impossible before even starting it, is truly agonizing.

Back when he was in Bashu, he purged countless households for the sake of their land and houses, always with new tricks, making an example of them as if he had inexhaustible energy.

But after his supernatural powers went out of control, he didn't even feel happy when he was plundering land deeds and property.

Surprisingly, he lived peacefully in the capital for a year, staying only in that dilapidated house.

This is terrifying.

Fortunately, that Yuanzai used his Divine Heart Borrows the Way, thus arousing the majesty of the Ghost God.

Guo Baozhi was truly invigorated by the divine power.

Everything has been going smoothly lately, and I'm starting to have good luck again.

"My supernatural powers have returned."

Guo Baozhi clutched his collar, tilted his head back, closed his eyes, tears welling in his eyes, but his expression was full of comfort and joy.

Cough cough cough!!

A coughing sound came from outside the side gate of the Daoist temple.

Several officers lifted the tilted door panel, protected Cao Ying, and stood up.

Cao Ying fanned the dust off the front of her face, her expression somewhat pale.

"It's done?"

He spotted the three items of Ghost God and deities at a glance.

The previously most domineering Five Chang Gods mask was now sandwiched between pear branches and jade pendants.

A golden halo emanated from the mask, like the glow around a candle flame.

The halo repeatedly tried to expand, but it was stopped when it touched the pear branch and the jade pendant.

There were also tiny golden wisps of light that were constantly being swallowed up by the pear branch and the jade pendant.

Several officers nearby suddenly began to sob.

Cao Ying turned his head in confusion and saw that his trusted subordinates, all of whom were fierce and brave, were now clutching their clothes to their chests, their cheeks twitching and tears streaming down their faces.

What's wrong with you?

"N-I don't know, I suddenly remembered something sad."

An officer pounded his chest, his eyes red-rimmed, and said, "The moment I saw that jade pendant clearly, I felt so terrible, I wished I were dead."

Guo Baozhi walked over and said, "Relax, it's normal to be sad. You've been affected by the power of the Divine Power of Sorrow and Joy."

Cao Ying asked doubtfully, "Then I..."

Guo Baozhi explained, "General, you have eaten Jiaoli Pear, so you can be considered the most suitable believer of the Patriarch Jiaoli. Just now, you were the one who offered incense to the Patriarch Jiaoli, so naturally you received the Ancestor's blessing."

Cao Ying suddenly realized.

"Back then, my niece, while serving the Five Rampancies Five Rampancies Sect, openly offered Jiaoli Pear while secretly presenting them with Jiao Li pears. She received three Jiaoli Pear pears, ate one herself, and the remaining two were meant for my eldest and fourth brothers."

Cao Ying sighed, "My elder brother is so suspicious; he refused to eat the pear, which benefited me instead."

Guo Baozhi laughed and said, "The General is a blessed man."

Cao Ying stared at the Five Rampancies mask and said in a deep voice, "I wonder how things are going in Luoyang?"

The Cao Family used Chu Tianshu, who had severely injured the sect leaders and desecrated the Five Chang Gods, as a target.

All twelve preachers from the Five Rampancies Sect, who were scattered in various places, were summoned to the outskirts of Luoyang.

Under the personal guidance of the Holy Maiden, using so many magical materials, and even the remains of Yu Ji had been repeatedly baptized by divine power, were employed.

The attention of the Five Chang Gods will inevitably be drawn there.

Guo Baozhi and his group secretly Chucheng and cast a spell on Mount Little Qingliang, resulting in the current situation where the Five Chang Gods have had their divine power stolen and the three gods are in a standoff.

This move was a resounding success.

With tonight's incident, the Cao Family no longer needs to worry about the Five Rampancies Sect becoming too powerful to control in the future.

Guo Baozhi also revived the Ghost King's divine power.

If Cao Ying can eliminate two major enemies and reclaim the Five Rampancies Soldiers and Horses Deputy Seal as expected, that would be truly gratifying!

"Although we seized a portion of the Five Chang Gods' divine power, it did not damage our foundation."

Guo Baozhi said, "We will naturally receive a response from the Five Rampancies in Luoyang."

"With Xu Laohu, who possesses the Lü Bu Origin Canon, I think they have at least a 70% chance of winning."

Cao Ying remained silent for a long time, her face grim.

"Seventy percent... Hmph! That's just the odds of winning. In other words, if that guy surnamed Chu is alert and escapes early, the chances of catching him are even lower?"

Cao Ying sneered, "Fine, it seems I still have a chance to take revenge myself."

"Once my niece returns, she will appease the Five Chang Gods, and then the three gods can work together..."

Just as they finished speaking, Cao Ying and Guo Baozhi suddenly heard a commotion coming from the foot of the mountain.

Cao Ying had previously sent men to guard the key passage at the foot of the mountain, prioritizing quality over quantity.

The sounds coming from that side were just a few words of obstruction from the guards; their voices weren't actually that loud.

But Cao and Guo, now empowered by divine forces, could hear it clearly.

"Yuanzai, the Commander-in-Chief has urgent business upstairs..."

"Get out of here!!"

Yuanzai's voice was still a little weak, but it came very quickly.

In the blink of an eye, he entered the dilapidated Daoist temple, his clothes billowing in the wind.

Cao Ying glanced at the Five Chang Gods Mask, which was being attacked from both sides, coughed lightly, and felt somewhat embarrassed.

Guo Baozhi, however, was all smiles.

"General, I have an extremely urgent matter... You all!"

Upon seeing the scene on the offering table, Yuanzai abruptly stopped, his lips twitched, and his face turned ashen.

"So it was you who did it!"

He was distraught, muttering, "General, what courage you have, but you're too ruthless. Was it really necessary to go this far?"

Cao Ying had recovered and said, "Brother Yuanzai, I told you to take good care of yourself because I care about your many years of hard work and great contributions. How can you say I'm heartless?"

"Moreover, the Five Chang Gods' appetite is growing ever larger, making it increasingly difficult for you to borrow their divine power. At most, you can only borrow a small portion."

"If you treat him now, his foundation will remain, and your future spells will still be powerful, and even more effective!"

Yuanzai was silent for a few seconds, then said, "It sounds like, Commander, you're not planning to kill me yet?"

Guo Baozhi cupped his hands and smiled, "The leader is a pillar of the sect, and will surely achieve great things in the future. How could the commander-in-chief possibly harbor murderous intentions towards the leader?"

Yuanzai's expression was very strange.

He looked at Guo Baozhi's face, then at Cao Ying.

There was a rare hint of sincerity in Cao Ying's eyes.

There were no ambushes nearby, so the two men didn't attack.

After repeatedly observing his surroundings, Yuanzai's expression became extremely puzzled.

"You really aren't going to make a move against me?"

Yuanzai said, "But you killed all twelve of my sect's lecturers, and even the Holy Maiden, who was also from the Cao Family."

His tone was utterly incomprehensible.

"So, it turns out that I'm closer to the Cao Family than the Holy Maiden is to the Cao Family?"

Cao Ying laughed heartily, "Brother Yuanzai, our friendship is, of course... What did you say?!"

Halfway through her sentence, Cao Ying's tone suddenly changed, becoming sharp and almost cracking.

"Who did you say died? I killed whoever you Laozi!!"

Yuanzai then realized that something was wrong.

"I've come to inform you that the life lamps of the saintess and the twelve preachers have all been extinguished."

Yuanzai asked in surprise, "Didn't you plot against the Five Chang Gods and use dirty tricks against them?"

It's true that he plotted against the Five Chang Gods, and it's also true that he used underhanded tactics to cheat people.

But they only targeted the preachers, and only intended to kill a few of them.

How could this be...?

Now, it was Cao Ying who turned ashen-faced.

He had just received divine power, and his emotions were so turbulent that the divine power truly turned his face a bluish-green.

Those bright green eyes fixed on Guo Baozhi, and he managed to utter two words with difficulty.

"Seven, one?"

Guo Baozhi was also greatly surprised.

"Well, well, for now, we can only let the sect leader take charge of appeasing the Five Chang Gods."

Guo Baozhi remained calm and composed, saying, "General, no matter what, the matter of the Three Gods has been accomplished, and we still have the advantage."

"But it seems I must report this matter to Lord Cao again urgently."

"No matter what, Lord Cao must put aside Liaodong and deal with these messages first!"

Cao Ying glanced at the officer beside her.

The officer, his eyes red, hurriedly ran down the mountain.

Cao Ying heard a commotion at the foot of the mountain. The people down the mountain saw the officer with red eyes and tears, and thought that something bad had happened to Cao Ying on the mountain.

Fortunately, the officer was sturdy and quick on his feet. Before the others could say anything, he quickly grabbed the radio and rushed back up the mountain to prepare.

Cao Ying personally sent a telegram to Liaodong via emergency communication.

The reply arrived in just fifteen minutes.

"Let Ying'er oversee matters in Luoyang, set up the judicial office at the foot of a hill seventeen li outside Luoyang city, and position the artillery within the dried-up moat and fields, etc."

"These are my suggestions: it should be able to attack when necessary and defend when needed."

"Ying'er probably didn't understand my meaning: prioritize protecting herself! What a pity!"

The telegram was filled with sorrow, yet it remained resolute, showing that the speaker had not lost his composure despite this setback.

A few minutes later, the second telegram arrived.

"The plan to establish a tripartite division of power has been successfully completed as scheduled, which is gratifying."

"However, the current situation is not suitable for a major war or a national war. I believe Cai Shanjun and his group also need to consider this carefully."

"To prevent the conflict from escalating further and forcing them to launch a preemptive strike, we must issue an announcement as soon as possible."

"For the future of our nation and people, let them come and negotiate!"

(End of this chapter)