Chapter 29: Test (Part Two)
“This humble one will certainly do my utmost,” Li Qi immediately responded.
“Hush, keep your voice down,” Mister Zhu put a finger to his lips, then asked: “Do you know about Baiyue?”
“Uh… I saw it on a wanted poster. I heard that the Great Lu Kingdom belongs to the Baiyue territory?” Li Qi answered.
“That’s right. The Great Lu Kingdom is but a small place. In the Ten Thousand Great Mountains of Baiyue, there are hundreds of countries like the Great Lu Kingdom. And the entire Baiyue is merely the size of one prefecture in the Tang Dynasty. And I come from Wushen Mountain, a ritual priest of the Shamanic Way.”
“Not just Baiyue, but beyond it lie Nanyue, and then Annan, Houle, occupying who knows how many tens of thousands of li. The so-called Great Lu Kingdom is but less than one-thousandth of my Wushen Mountain’s domain.”
“However, this area of Baiyue is close to the Tang Dynasty and deeply influenced by it, especially countries like the Great Lu Kingdom and Song Kingdom. That’s why you can see that this place, compared to territories under Wushen Mountain’s command, resembles a tributary state of the Tang Dynasty more.”
Upon hearing this, Li Qi immediately pricked up his ears, silently committing these details to memory.
Evidently, these were not things ordinary people could hear. Remembering them certainly wouldn’t hurt.
“And now, you’ve also seen Lady Luofu’s wanted poster. She has already fled from Jiannan Dao and escaped into the Baiyue territory,” Mister Zhu said. “Considering the relationship between Baiyue, the Great Lu Kingdom, and the Tang Dynasty, what do you think I want you to do?”
Before he even finished his question, a cold sweat had already broken out on Li Qi’s back.
Because he immediately thought of something.
Jiannan Dao!
He had encountered a demon on the road who claimed to be from Jiannan Dao.
What did that have to do with Lady Luofu?
And what did it have to do with Baiyue?!
He immediately understood how deep the waters behind this matter ran.
Connecting all the pieces, it wasn't hard to draw conclusions with a little extrapolation.
That Wushen Mountain and that Tang Dynasty were definitely in competition. But these two were probably massive powers occupying millions of li of land, and their struggle would inevitably affect countless people.
Now it seemed… this chessboard of struggle was right here in the Great Lu Kingdom?
No, the Great Lu Kingdom wasn’t nearly significant enough. It should be the entire northern Baiyue, including Song Kingdom, the Great Lu Kingdom, and a host of other countries, all serving as the chessboard for these two great powers’ struggle!
So, that’s why the Great Lu Kingdom now… uses the county system? That’s why it has this current chaotic political structure?
He had been complaining about the chaotic check-pass system earlier, but now he saw that the chaos seemed to extend beyond just the check-pass system. The authorities’ attitude and the peculiar situation of the populace also seemed to have been signs all along.
The authorities had rules, and their control was very strict. Various laws were extremely detailed, even requiring that murder cases be solved.
Yet in practice, they were very lenient, so much so that if officials were too lazy to act, even a murder case wouldn’t be filed.
Furthermore, a system like the check-pass similar to an ID card existed, yet each check-pass was only valid within the city. Once outside the city, it became useless, and in other cities, one could even apply for another one with a different identity.
The conflicting phenomena of leniency and strictness, orderly laws and gang autonom all highlighted strange points.
This… perhaps was the difference between Wushen Mountain and the Tang Dynasty?
Then, from this perspective, Wushen Mountain… seemed to be at a disadvantage, didn’t it?
The original Baiyue region had now adopted the Tang Dynasty’s system, including its laws, various official positions, and even the government itself had taken on the form of the Tang Dynasty’s system.
So, at this moment… with the incident of Lady Luofu, what would Wushen Mountain want to do?
Undoubtedly, the enemy of an enemy is a friend. Although he didn’t know how powerful Lady Luofu was, being personally hunted by the Tang Dynasty’s Emperor suggested her standing wouldn’t be low.
Wushen Mountain wants to find Lady Luofu? To discuss cooperation?
Was that woman he met the Lady Luofu?
Bah, impossible. If Lady Luofu had that kind of intelligence, she would have died before escaping the Tang Dynasty.
But that demon also said she was from Jiannan Dao.
If it wasn’t just a shared place name, then she was ninety-nine percent certain to be related to Lady Luofu.
But from her demeanor, her status wouldn't be very high.
In other words, his identity as an Outsider possessed the characteristic of being un-divinable.
This meant that Mister Zhu didn’t actually divine his location to come here. He might have been… following him all along.
Then, pushing it further, including the Bull Strength Art, was it part of the other party’s plan?
Were the ritual chants he concocted actually effective?
Could something like the River Opening Ceremony truly be something he could exploit?
Could it be… that at that time, Mister Zhu was watching him from above, tinkering with the ritual chants?
So, inferring from this hypothesis, was his situation on the road also constantly observed by the other party?
A test?
Was it related to the matter he wanted to entrust to him?
And then, he just happened to stumble upon a demon related to Lady Luofu.
Did that demon escape?
Certainly not. This Mister Zhu clearly possessed vast divine powers, and that demon was foolish, as if her brain was waterlogged. She might have some divine abilities, but she was definitely no match for this person.
Combining the clues, let’s make a bold guess.
That demon related to Lady Luofu was captured, and he himself was chosen by this Mister Zhu because of his identity as an Outsider…
Would the characteristics of an Outsider have a special effect in this event? Is it necessary?
No sooner said than done, all of this clicked in Li Qi’s mind within a few seconds.
Pondering these thoughts,
“Young Master, do you perhaps wish for me to be your messenger, guided by Lady Luofu’s people, to meet Lady Luofu and discuss matters between Wushen Mountain and the Tang Dynasty?” Li Qi answered carefully.
Mister Zhu showed a surprised expression, but still nodded: “As expected, you are clever. Only with such shrewdness can one be qualified to meet Lady Luofu. That is precisely what I mean. Do you remember that rabbit demon you met yesterday?”
“That demon was a rabbit demon?” Only then did Li Qi learn that the one named Shen Shuibi was a rabbit demon.
“She’s a rabbit, so she’s as foolish as one. But she happens to be Lady Luofu’s personal maidservant, so I’m sure she can find Lady Luofu’s location. At that time, as an Outsider, you cannot be located by divination arts, and you can also demonstrate my Wushen Mountain’s sincerity to Lady Luofu.”
“Take her to find Lady Luofu. This is the task I give you, and the reward… join Wushen Mountain and become my apprentice. How does that sound?” Mister Zhu said.
Upon hearing this, Li Qi immediately bowed: “Disciple greets Master!”
Are you kidding? If he didn't cling tightly to such a powerful connection, wouldn't he be a fool?
“Don’t be in such a hurry. It’s an apprentice, not a disciple. You don’t need to call me Master. Also, back to the main topic, do you know why I said you were about to die?”
(Chapter End)