NOVPUB"General Fang, my elder brother is going to die."
Cao Zhi put down the tea pot, grasped a chess piece, and outlined the situation at Guan Du, "In a few months, when supplies are cut off and cultivators from the High Realm swarm in, my brother will undoubtedly die, and the people from Shengyun Sect certainly won't save him."
"On the other hand, this sworn brother of mine will!"
"General, give me the nod and I'll figure out a way to rescue my brother to the Capital City. Afterward, together we shall eradicate the Yan Party. How about it?"
"I can't promise anything on behalf of my junior fellow disciple, and I'm sure he won't leave," General Fang replied.
Fang Qingyun indifferently said, "Even if you go, it would be a waste of time."
"I know he's stubborn, but I can wait," Cao Zhi said.
"When the fifteen thousand men are gone and only he is left, he will inevitably agree. Then, with all his fury, he will certainly help me."
"You can try."
Fang Qingyun didn't say more.
"If trying is what it takes! Then I will make arrangements to first rescue my brother from the pit."
Having said that, Cao Zhi draped on the black mantle beside him, stepped into the snowstorm, and disappeared.
Shortly after he left.
A spy from the Governor Mansion hidden among the Jinyi Guard quietly appeared, his voice somber, "You must have seen the latest front-line situation reports delivered recently, right? The court has already struck a deal with Luoye Valley but hasn't cut off the supplies just yet. I wonder why."
"It's simple," Fang Qingyun stared at the chessboard, "If they truly exchanged the Ancestor Vein for Foundation Establishment Pills, the loss would be too significant. His Majesty still holds a bit of hope for my junior fellow disciple, wanting to see if he can create a miracle. If he can win this battle against all odds, there's still the chance to renege."
"I understand," the Jinyi Guard nodded. "Regardless of whether this battle is lost or won, the one on the Dragon Chair will at least get a Foundation Establishment Pill. That really is a clever move."
"Yes, he has never lost. Master reached the pinnacle in this world, but in reality, everything was controlled by him until his death."
"Unwilling disciple, Black Tortoise Camp, Master's life expectancy, my leg…"
"One by one, he has never lost."
"People call me Phoenix, what Phoenix am I? I still fall short of him."
As he spoke, seemingly touched by a painful memory, Fang Qingyun coughed more violently, eventually coughing up a mouthful of fresh blood onto the chessboard.
"Brother Fang, are you alright?"
The Jinyi Guard hurried forward to support him, clumsily offering a cloth.
"I'm fine, where's the proof?"
Fang Qingyun, catching his breath, didn't accept it, "How's the collection going?"
"The information from the past ten days in Yunzhou is almost complete. We're still searching for this time's; there shouldn't be any problems, just give me a bit more time."
The Jinyi Guard paused, "Moreover, this time, no matter what, with Cao Zhi stepping in to save someone, even if the situation at the front really can't be salvaged, at least the Young Master isn't in life-threatening danger."
He turned his head, looking at the footprints left by Cao Zhi in the snow within the courtyard, "Speaking of which, the Twelfth Prince, I knew from early on that he's actually the most ambitious. When the former Crown Prince was causing trouble in Ziwei Mountain, he took the opportunity to eliminate a large number of people, replacing them with his and King Jin's men from the Sixth Prince."
"If the Yan Party falls, most of the people in the court will be his and King Jin's."
"And then, leveraging the power of Seeking Immortal Tower behind the scenes, once successful, he'll swiftly secure the throne."
"This time,"
"His effort to win over and make use of Chen Sansi for himself is apparent."
"Yes, but he's being somewhat presumptuous."
Normally cordial and good-natured, in that moment, Fang Qingyun's eyes gleamed unprecedentedly sharp: "How can the men of my Governor Mansion always remain suppressed?!"
"Yes,"
The Jinyi Guard looked toward the direction of the Imperial Palace: "Over these years, staying in the Imperial Palace, I've witnessed many things happening. Several times, I was so frustrated I wanted to leave."
"No, I had actually packed my bags."
"It was four years ago, in the seventy-second year of Longqing. The Old Governor's life was nearing its end, and he still had to deal with the Slaughter and Spirit Veins, utterly unable to handle Cao Kai, and the Governor Mansion didn't have a way out either."
"Everyone was very desperate."
"Everyone knew, as soon as the Governor dies, the court will move against the Sun Family."
"The best outcome would be to willingly put on chains and be an obedient dog, and with some luck, perhaps even cling to a meager life."
"Only pity the remaining children of the Governor: Bu Qi wouldn't be able to escape being confined in the Capital City for a lifetime, and Sun Li would have to marry into the Imperial Family or someone else to be like a bird in a cage."
"This place, it still belongs to the Cao Family."
"Later, if Cao Kai needs to, he could also 'gather herbs' as if using his own subjects to boost his cultivation or prolong his life."
"Nothing, would change at all."
"Until the eve of an incident in Yunzhou in the seventy-second winter of Longqing, Brother Fang sent me a letter."
"The letter said."
"You and the Governor, at the shore of Hongze River, met a young man unlike the others; he might be able to shoulder the burden that the Governor Mansion had failed to carry."
"Thus."
"Everything gained a glimmer of hope."
"In a flash over four years have passed."
"The Old Governor passed away, the Young Master has also gained the ability to stand on his own."
"But who could have guessed, this time, there would be such a drama at Guan Du!"
At this point,
The Jinyi Guard nearly gnashed his molars: "Fifteen thousand soldiers, disposable as if to Cao as to say they are dispensable."
"It's true that the Young Master isn't in danger this time."
"But…"
"If Hongze Camp is lost, the Governor Mansion will indeed run out of military resources."
"Then we can only continue to endure."
Guan Du! Guan Du! Guan Du!
Fang Qingyun stared at the blood-stained chessboard.
The outcome of the Battle of Guan Du,
will...
change the course of the world!
