NOVPUBZhuge Liang did not concern himself with how his actions might cast a shadow over Lu Xun’s future, having undergone an ability test himself before. Moreover, the test he faced was a high-level one, led by Chen Xi with the assistance of Lub Su, Liu Ye, Jia Xu, Li Youu, Man Chong, Mi Zhu, and other such individuals.
At the time of that test, Guo Jia was absent, thus his role was filled by Fa Zheng. Whenever Zhuge Liang recalled that test, he felt that having gone through it once, he was under no pressure when it came to any assessments. Can you imagine the kind of shadow that would be cast if a group of the top contemporaries tested you in the very area you were most skilled in?
However, after that test, Zhuge Liang had a comprehensive understanding of his strengths and weaknesses, and he also gained some understanding of the people who had tested him. Because of this, he was actually quite satisfied with that test. Aside from feeling rather embarrassed about his ignorance, he had no other concerns.
"Not bad, at least you’ve passed one section," Zhuge Liang calmly stated, "Let’s skip the Classics, Histories, Philosophers, and Literary Collections. I assume you won’t have any issues there. Can you achieve eidetic memory or not?"
"Barely can..." Upon hearing Zhuge Liang’s mention of at least passing one section, Lu Xun’s face flushed with embarrassment and he quietly replied, his spirit taking a hit that day.
"That’s good," Zhuge Liang nodded, "Start with reading the books. For those subjects you don’t like, just get an impression of them for now. Later, I will lay the groundwork for you. Um, you understand your situation now, right?"
"I understand," Lu Xun said dejectedly with his head lowered.
"Now that you understand, take your time to learn. You’ll quickly get the hang of things you need to know." Zhuge Liang, seeing Lu Xun’s morale was low, tried to offer some comfort, but Lu Xun reacted with barely any response.
Zhuge Liang glanced at Lu Xun without saying anything further, thinking to himself, [He’s this upset from the test? I didn’t get like this when I was tested by that group of people. Is it really necessary? He’s not even mentally tough enough to handle this.]
Unbeknownst to Chen Xi, Lu Xun was currently enduring an assault on his spirit, essentially getting handled in all sorts by Zhuge Liang to the point where his young spirit had begun to form a shadow. It was likely that for the short term, he would not dare to act out in front of Zhuge Liang.
Having hastened the Changing Heavens, Chen Xi finally saw a slight halt in his usually abundant Spiritual Capacity. Although it continued to operate after that, the slight pause gave Chen Xi some insight into the total amount of his spirit, which could not simply be described as tremendous.
"Xingba, once we reach the Yangtze River and encounter Sunx Ce’s ships, do not hold back. Use as much strength as you have, but more importantly, never stop. I’m worried that the enemy intends to surround us," Chen Xi said with a frown.
What Chen Xi was most worried about was Zhou Yu playing for time. If they entered the Yangtze and faced Sunx Ce’s army, which had inexplicably made it to the lower Yangtze, while the Jiangxia Navy attacked from behind, with enemies blocking the front and pursuing from the rear, even if Chen Xi trusted in Gan Ning’s extraordinary abilities, he would never expect to escape unscathed from such a situation.
"The Jiangxia Navy..." Gan Ning said, frowning, "This is indeed troublesome, but the overall strength of the Jiangxia Navy won’t change. They only have so many troops. If they split up too much, it might actually give us the opportunity to annihilate one or two of their forces."
"Hmm, let’s hope so," Chen Xi nodded, feeling that he might have been worrying too much. After all, Zhou Yu’s forces were limited and couldn’t act recklessly, "While there’s still some time, I’m going to relax a bit. Get me a fishing rod; I want to fish and unwind."
Chen Xi, holding the fishing rod, was somewhat distracted. Actually, ever since he realized that Zhou Yu’s Navy was appearing where it shouldn’t, he felt that something was amiss, but even now he still hadn’t grasped the nature of the problem.
Gazing at the small boat at the edge of the reed marshes on the riverbank, Chen Xi felt like he’d overlooked something. His grip on the fishing rod involuntarily tightened, and his brows furrowed deeply.
"Zichuan, what are you thinking about?" Lul Jun, coming out for a breath of fresh air once again, asked in puzzlement as he looked at Chen Xi, whose brows were knitted tightly together.
"..." Chen Xi had previously grasped something essential but it was scattered by Lul Jun’s interruption and he couldn’t gather his thoughts back together, which made Chen Xi sigh, "How is Brother Jir Cai doing?"
"With such a large army for protection, what could be wrong? In the past, the Lul Family’s business travels were always stop-and-go, always having to take care of this and that. But now with the army’s protection, those river pirates and water bandits involuntarily give way. It sure is effective," Lul Jun said with a smug look. Although the Lul Family had never had accidents on the river, the stop-and-go journey was indeed due to the involuntary consideration of the family members’ safety. Otherwise, who would enjoy such travel?
"Oh..." Chen Xi nodded without saying much. Lul Jun’s words enlightened Chen Xi about everything, making him understand why there was no Jiangxia Navy on the Upper Yangtze and how Zhou Yu managed it. It seemed that the Jiangxia Navy, apart from the regular army, probably consisted of surrendered Yangtze river bandits. However, unlike Gan Ning, who incorporated the pirates into his own water village, Zhou Yu kept them stationed separately in various waterways, continuing their trades...
[So that means now the river pirates along the Middle and Lower Yangtze have gathered together. On one hand, Zhou Yu wants to use these river pirates to block us, and on the other hand, he probably intends to eliminate some disobedient pirate leaders with our help.] Chen Xi’s expression darkened, seeing that Zhou Yu’s approach was clearly somewhat unscrupulous.
[Zhou Yu has probably even thought of an excuse to move the Jiangxia Navy openly. The Yangtze river bandits gather at Jiujiang with the potential to forcefully attack Shouchun. If I remember correctly, the main task assigned to the Jiangxia Navy by Yuan Shu was to clear out river pirates. With this, the Jiangxia Navy would have a reason to move out. Zhou Yu, you are ruthless, fostering enemies for self-gain!] Chen Xi was no fool; once the hint was given, he could instantly understand the matter completely.
In fact, there were many things Chen Xi dared not think about because he couldn’t quite grasp Zhou Yu’s nature. After all, according to Chen Xi’s current estimates, if things went as expected, the Yangtze Waterway near Shouchun of Jiujiang would probably gather nearly thirty thousand troops. If previously Chen Xi had doubts about the presence of bandit soldiers, now he was certain that all these were dark pieces laid by Zhou Yu for Suns Ce—even if Sunx Ce himself didn’t know, Zhou Yu definitely had a clear idea!
More than thirty thousand men squatting close to Shouchun; even without delving deeper, Chen Xi couldn’t help but suspect Zhou Yu’s intentions. You have to know, Yuan Shu’s only son, Yuan Yao, seems to be on the verge of death. For a feudal lord, an heir is extremely important. If Yuan Yao falls and Yuan Shu goes down too, then the thirty thousand troops stationed in the Yangtze would be enough to convince everyone to allow Sunx Ce to take his place.
(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com), and your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
