Setting an Ambush

"Where have you been?"

I'm riding a horse!

"Then what?"

"The horse must have been frightened by something, because it ran away and left me behind. Then I walked back!"

Dong Zhongshu and his men made a tactical retreat. When Wen Weng recovered, they went to find the Bashe, only to find a muddy field.

In that muddy place, the Bashe disappeared without a trace, leaving not even a mark of its massive body crushing the ground.

This left Dong Zhongshu feeling melancholy all night at the prefectural governor's residence.

Wen Weng also spent a melancholy night at the prefectural governor's residence.

The difference is that the former lamented the loss of his opportunity to enter the realm of the Sole Self Realm and his fate was full of hardships, while Wen Weng was worried about the hidden dangers that the Bashe brought to Shu County.

The two were hoping that Zhang Xuezhou, the last returning cultivator, would have some relevant information, but the results of their inquiry were very disappointing.

Zhang Xuezhou was lagging behind, having accomplished nothing and even lost his horse.

The already impoverished Shu Commandery lost two horses in this battle, and another horse went mad after its tail broke off.

But the losses to the prefectural government were secondary; thinking of the swollen belly of the snake, Wen Weng felt that bad news would soon be reported.

This also requires them to deal with the Bashe as soon as possible.

"Brother Zhongshu, I'm afraid this matter needs to be reported to the court immediately," Wen Weng said, frowning.

"It will take at least a month for you to get a response from the imperial court," Dong Zhongshu said. "An even more troublesome problem is that no one will come to help kill the snake!"

"How could someone not come to deal with such a major disaster that has brought calamity to the entire region?"

"Who do you think will come?"

"Our Han Kingdom is filled with civil and military officials..."

Wen Weng's face showed a slight anger, but when he recalled the faces of the many civil and military officials in the court, he felt that there were very few people who could come.

If we say that Grand Commandant Zhou was diligent in his duties, Grand Commandant Zhou is already dead.

Chancellor Liu She's guiding principle in doing things was to avoid making mistakes and to protect himself. He would never travel thousands of miles away. In fact, when Dong Zhongshu mentioned that Liu She's position was unstable, Emperor Jing reprimanded him several times.

The Imperial Censor Zhi Buyi was low-key and restrained in his official duties, following the system established by his predecessor. He only wanted to secure Chang'an City and had no intention of causing trouble in Shu County.

Military officers such as Cheng Bushi and Li Guang, who were involved with the imperial court, were not within the scope of normal transfers.

As for what happened next, when Wen Weng looked at Dou Ying of Wei Qi, Marquis Tian Fen of Wu An, and others, he felt that these imperial relatives would never do hard labor.

Although the court appears to be full of civil and military officials, very few actually come to Shu County.

In the past, Emperor Jing lamented that there were no capable people to rely on; now, Wen Weng also felt, for some reason, that there were few capable people to rely on.

"If only I were a little weaker!"

Wen Weng finally sighed in regret.

If he were merely a cultivator at the Divine Ability Realm, perhaps one of the twenty-odd cultivators at the Sole Self Realm in the imperial court would come to his aid. However, he possessed the strength of the Sole Self Realm but was unable to solve the problem, and any cultivator of the same level would hesitate repeatedly when faced with the task.

"Your strength is a bit low? What if someone even less capable than you comes along?" Dong Zhongshu reminded him, "Don't even think about that!"

"Zhao Wan and Wang Zang are a cut above me in strength," Wen Weng said. "Their arrival will surely solve the problem."

"Those two old fellows can't ride horses, they can only travel by carriage on flat ground. They might be able to cast spells in the city, but after traveling through the wilderness, casting spells there would probably be..."

Dong Zhongshu shrugged and did not continue speaking.

Compared to cultivators like Wen Weng, other cultivators have even more unbearable shortcomings, and as they age, many cultivators also find it difficult to endure the hardships of travel and toil.

Shu County was not near Chang'an City Chang'an City. If it were, the civil and military officials would have been tired from traveling a hundred miles.

Although they were separated by thousands of miles and the journey involved many remote and difficult terrains, it still took Dong Zhongshu more than a month to arrive. It would have taken even longer for others to come.

Such a long period of time was enough for the Bashe to wreak havoc.

If the Bashe (a type of snake) targets Shu County City, it wouldn't be surprising if the city's inhabitants were devoured by the time rescue arrives.

The only way to resolve the threat posed by the Bashe is for Wen Weng, Dong Zhongshu, and others to find a solution. Seeking help from the imperial court will be of no use whatsoever, as that distant aid cannot quench the immediate fire in Shu County.

"The most important thing right now is to find the whereabouts of the Bashe," Dong Zhongshu said. "Then we'll see if we can set an ambush!"

The main reason for the failed raid last night was the collision on the way; such a short and rapid encounter rarely gives Technique Method time to cast a spell.

The size and strength of the Bashe were so different from what Wen Weng had described that they were caught off guard.

The combination of darkness and torrential rain created an extremely challenging environment for spellcasting.

Various reasons led to the failure of the mission to kill the Bashe.

"This demon is too large; I'm afraid it will be difficult to ambush it," Wen Weng said, frowning.

"Even if you don't set up a trap to ensnare the serpent, if you manage to restrain it with your magic for even a moment, my spell can still smash its head open!"

Given sufficient external support, Dong Zhongshu believed he was capable of defeating the Bashe.

He wasn't a master on paper like Wen Weng, but a true master in actual combat.

The higher one's cultivation level, the more difficult the techniques can be, and the greater their power will be. However, one must be able to master the techniques and even use them with ease.

If he were to play chess against Wen Weng in pairs, as long as he maintained a certain distance, he could easily defeat his opponent.

Despite the equally chaotic and unwise nature of the Bashe serpent, Dong Zhongshu still had enough confidence in it.

The giant snake's size is a huge advantage for many people, but for some spellcasters, it's a target big enough that they can hit Technique Method even with their eyes closed.

Having had that first encounter, Dong Zhongshu was confident that he would not make the same mistake a second time.

"The prefect's men have already gone to patrol and investigate the Taiping Weir area. They will report back as soon as they find any trace of the Bashe," Wen Weng nodded in response. "I'll think about the ambush plan more carefully!"

After discussing the relevant matters with Dong Zhongshu, Wen Weng clasped his hands and hurriedly left.

"It seems that Prefect Wen is somewhat reluctant to cast a spell on the Bashe!"

Seeing Wen Weng leave in a hurry, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but sigh.

"His techniques are almost ineffective against the Bashe, except for the Water Imprisonment technique, which he hasn't tried," Dong Zhongshu said dejectedly. "But casting Water Imprisonment takes at least half an incense stick's time, and setting up an ambush is like risking your life!"

"I see that Prefect Wen's cultivation level is very high, so why is his actual combat ability not as strong as yours?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"He values realm over technique, possessing a high realm but lacking suitable techniques. However, this is also the most common cultivation method in our Han Kingdom," Dong Zhongshu said. "The techniques cultivated at a low realm are almost useless at a high realm, and most people don't want to waste time on useless Technique Method."

"I think some low-level techniques are quite useful," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Our Han Kingdom has 683 low-level techniques below the True Spirit Realm, but none of them are as effective as just randomly slashing with a sword," Dong Zhongshu said. "Which low-level technique do you think is quite useful?"

"I learned a Supreme Purity True Technique, and I find it quite useful."

"Don't mistake a Grade B superior Technique Method for a low-level technique. Even the initial part of such a technique is still considered a high-level technique."

Dong Zhongshu pursed his lips, feeling that the technique Zhang Xuezhou was talking about was beyond the scope of normal cultivators.

For most cultivators, in the early stages of cultivation, they can only access low-level techniques such as ' Yin Entity Tracking Technique ' and 'Small Spark Technique'.

These techniques are purely for practice and rarely have suitable application scenarios.

The technique Zhang Xuezhou mentioned is already a high-level technique, a level that is difficult for ordinary cultivators to access.

This kind of advanced technique is controlled by the military, and it cannot be spread indiscriminately.

For example, Zhang Xuezhou's Supreme Purity True Technique requires constant healing of injuries in order to enhance its power. If it were to spread unchecked, cultivators would inevitably create injuries to aid their practice.

Today they'll cut off my hand, tomorrow my arm, and the day after tomorrow they'll rip out my heart.

As long as it brings enough rewards, the dark side in the hearts of some cultivators will inevitably expand rapidly, and they will stop at nothing to master these useful techniques to the extreme.

Zhang Xuezhou asked a few questions out of confusion, but after Dong Zhongshu explained, Zhang Xuezhou was also shocked.

Ren Wuyang had previously instructed Zhang Xuezhou not to recklessly spread the Mental Strengthening Chapter," and Dong Zhongshu later recounted the strict control over the spread of advanced techniques.

Zhang Xuezhou originally thought this was a matter of higher-ups controlling the flow of knowledge, but he forgot about the multifaceted diversity of people.

The consequences of its rampant spread will inevitably be a disaster that is difficult to eradicate.