"You should go back and wait for news. There's no need to give away anything to the Green Scale Army, just carry on as if Miss Qing is still in the city."

Zhou Ping'an looked at Xiao Ju with her expectant eyes, wanting to ask questions yet not daring to, and comforted her, "You don't need to worry about your young miss either. The actions of the Yunling Saintess and her kind are so despicable, it's obvious that they are targeting me.

With just Miss Qing alone, they wouldn't need to resort to such convoluted schemes.

Before I have the chance to rush over, even if Miss Qing makes a mistake, she won't be in any danger to her life...

Besides, with her intelligence, she wouldn't rashly take risks without seeing an opportunity."

Those words were the truth.

Even if the Yunling Saintess knows that killing the sister that Miss Qing depends on, breaking her emotional anchor, can affect the martial arts she cultivates—Heart Sutra of Detachment, causing her cultivation to greatly decrease, she wouldn't go to such lengths.

The reason is simple.

In the eyes of the Yunling Saintess and those Protectors,

the newly entered True Qi Realm Red Lotus Celestial Maiden is something they could suppress with ease, and there's absolutely no need to go through such trouble.

In doing so, on one hand, they let out some spite, punishing those underlings who disobeyed.

The main purpose, of course, is to set bait, fishing for the bigger catch.

If they can lure Zhou Ping'an over and eliminate him, there would be no need to attack Qingyang City at all. Just the arrival of the army, and a few shouts will probably be enough to break through the city.

In this age, without masters to defend it, an army without their lord's guidance is as good as scattered sand.

Because they cannot find a reason to fight to the death.

Moreover, the slogans long promoted by the Red Lotus Sect were about Recreating the Universe for the good of the people.

Everywhere they went, they cleansed the large households and released their grain, proclaiming equality for all, and that everyone is a brother or sister within the Sect.

Putting it that way, for the common refugees who don't understand the situation, the Red Lotus Sect's slogans actually sound quite friendly.

Apart from the Official Government and large families, no one else would be bored enough to fight to the death with the Red Lotus Army.

Therefore, every city that fell to the Official Government's troops quickly lost their fighting spirit among the commoners, who were then swept up by the approaching army like a swarm of locusts, devouring everything as they passed.

As for the later consequences, whether these coerced commoners become cannon fodder, or realize they've been deceived—that's a story for another time.

At that point, these commoners will already be corpses scattered across fields and hills, adding just a bit of nourishment to the next year's vegetation. Whether they awake to the truth or not hardly matters anymore.

"Understood."

Xiao Ju, having received a definite answer, was like taking a reassurance pill and cheerfully returned to the Flower Washing Garden.

That was where Miss Qing founded the headquarters of her intelligence department.

Qingyang City had not yet openly displayed its banner, nor had it inaugurated any formal establishment; it was akin to a makeshift troupe...

A few groups of soldiers were searching for their own territories to station themselves, reporting directly to Zhou Ping'an.

For just a single city's land, this kind of arrangement didn't pose any problems.

For these newly-appointed civil and military officials, this way of interacting was perfectly fine, even adding a sense of intimacy.

Of course, when the territory expands and everyone's responsibilities become clear, such practices won't be possible.

By then, it would be necessary to establish a new organizational structure, create ranks based on one's achievements, and determine everyone's salary and land ownership, as well as the treatment they would receive within the group on a daily basis.

These troublesome matters,

Zhou Ping'an decided to gradually delegate to some scholars under his command.

Those people, with nothing better to do all day, liked to use their brains, especially when it came to holding office and exercising power—they were extremely interested.

To prove themselves, they would undoubtedly give their all to make the local government and judicial affairs orderly and well-managed. Zhou Ping'an didn't need to waste too much time managing these trivial matters.

In this way, Zhou Ping'an and Lin Huaiyu and others only needed to hold the reins, control the overall direction, and they wouldn't have much to do, which would not hinder their own cultivation.

Zhou Ping'an would not forget.

Gaining momentum is just that, secondary.

He could not treat gaining momentum through rebellion and seizing territory as his lifelong goal.

All the empires and achievements amount to nothing; even if one sits above millions, in the end, this life is but a fleeting hundred years before one enters the earth, hardly interesting.

In this world, there are martial masters who can live three to four hundred years, or even over a thousand years without dying.

Compared to these long-lived beings, worldly power seems laughable.

Sitting atop a mountain peak, overlooking the birth, aging, sickness, and death of dozens of Emperors...

Such figures look upon the rise and fall of dynasties as if witnessing ants struggling, not even bothering to lift a finger to intervene.

Zhou Ping'an had not reached such heights.

He couldn't fully understand what those beings, who lived a thousand or even several thousand years, were thinking.

For now, he simply wanted to strive for his own goals.

First and foremost, he had to deal with the Red Lotus Army and secure the Three Counties of Liyou, gathering a million followers to enhance his Power of Wishes and accelerate his cultivation.

A millennium is too long; seize the day.

If time drags on and he does not grow strong enough, who knows what unexpected events might arise, what extraordinary figures might appear and crush him with a mere finger.

With such thoughts, he always felt insecure, eager to cultivate faster, live longer.

Coming into this world and encountering such an opportunity for longevity,

If he doesn't appreciate and strive for it, letting it slip by while watching, how foolish would that be?

…

The various plans in his mind gradually became clear.

Zhou Ping'an's eyes flickered with a sharp forethought, clearly understanding what needed to be done and what must be done swiftly without delay.

"This time, you shall stay within the city. The Red Lotus Sect's powers are vast, and they have too many experts. We must also guard against the possibility that they could send someone to secretly surveil the city.

Now that the Green Lady is absent, the only one in the city who can contend against the Martial Intent of the ninth layer is you, Third Miss. I wouldn't be at ease if you left as well."

"Fine, as long as the people are here, the city stands, and the people... Mmm!"

Lin Huaiyu hadn't finished speaking when her mouth was suddenly sealed.

Her eyes also became hazy.

Zhou Ping'an savored the taste of lipstick for a while, feeling the Third Miss in his embrace soften into a bundle, before he finally let go with satisfaction and smiled, "What's a city worth? How can it compare to a single strand of your hair?

If we really encounter a strong enemy, haven't you also learned 'Ends of the Earth Within Reach'? Taking Little Jiu'er with you and fleeing with all your might, there are few who would be able to catch up.

As long as the green hills last, there'll be no shortage of firewood. When I return, I'll slay the enemies in revenge."

Zhou Ping'an said this with an air of lightness.

It seemed as though he had entrusted an important task to Lin Huaiyu.

However, the Third Miss understood.

It was actually Zhou Ping'an worrying about her taking risks along with him, deliberately giving her the responsibility.

Indeed, war is perilous, the strength of the enemy is unknown, as is the number of their experts—whether we can prevail against them is an utter uncertainty.

He alone can come and go as he pleases. Even if truly unmatched, he could rapidly shift gears and escape at great speed, likely leaving no one able to detain him.

But with a burden by his side, it would neither be good to stay nor to go, resulting in constraints everywhere.

Certain words, when phrased differently, can leave a very different impression.

Lin Huaiyu was far from a superficial woman and could certainly feel the subtle care in Zhou Ping'an's heart.

She didn't say much more, merely pursed her lips with a light smile, stepped forward to straighten the creases on Zhou Ping'an's robe, and whispered caution, "Don't push yourself if things become impossible. I'll be waiting for you at home to come back."

"Alright."

Zhou Ping'an nodded, gave the Third Miss a deep look, his figure blurred into vacancy, and with one step, he was already thirty zhang away.

With a few leaps, like a trail of faint light and shadows, he vanished into the twilight.

Miss Qing had already set out some time ago.

According to Xiao Ju, she had left the city at the tail end of Shenshi, when the sky was aglow, pressing her horse to the utmost speed.

With Miss Qing's True Qi infusion, spurring the horse's bloodline, her speed was quite remarkable, easily covering a hundred li within a single shichen.

From Qingyang City to Dongshan City, if one follows the official road, it's about two hundred seventy li, and within two shichen, it's possible to reach there, without even needing to stop to water the horse.

And by now, two full shichen had already passed since the end of Shenshi.

"I can only hope she hasn't acted yet."

Zhou Ping'an shot off like a bolt of lightning.

His physique was robust, his energy enduring, and his light body technique was exceptionally outstanding.

When he actually started running, he was three to four times faster than the finest horse in Qingyang City...

If he truly unleashed his Qi-Blood and harnessed True Qi to bolster his effort, he could easily surpass the speed of sound.

However, since the objective was to travel and not to fight, such overexertion wasn't necessary.

Upon arrival at Dongshan, nobody knew whether there would be ceaseless battles or an encounter with an insurmountable opponent; hence, maintaining a full reserve of energy was essential.

It was entirely unnecessary to waste his strength and True Qi simply for the sake of travel.

Even so, using merely thirty percent of his strength and speed, he was as fast as a shooting star, howling along the road, trailing a faint shadow under the moonlight.

"Eh..."

Just as he reached Tiger Leap Stream and glanced over, he saw countless tents and temporary dwellings on a vast plain to his left...

A Fierce Tiger Flag stood tall amidst them.

This was the Fierce Tiger Camp led by Tang Lin'er personally.

The night had deepened.

One could see the watchful guards and secret patrols clearly arranged in the camp; torches placed systematically, which from afar formed an eight-sided spiderweb pattern.

His spiritual power expanded over the area and he immediately felt a familiar, mighty aura.

It was in the stunted pine forest to the side of the military camp.

A muscular youth, bare-chested with his eyes covered by a black cloth and his ears stuffed with cotton wadding, was practicing his strikes meticulously with a blade.

The blade's glow was thick and imposing, tinged with a chilling, murderous intent.

Each move he made was filled with an imposing aura.

"That's Tang Lin'er."

Zhou Ping'an knew that Tang Lin'er was no longer practicing the Lin Family's Riding the Waves Sword, nor the Ninth Turning of Wave Subduing Blade Technique passed down later.

Instead, he was practicing the "Primordial Sword" that Zhou Ping'an had subsequently created.

For these military leaders and soldiers whose martial arts comprehension wasn't very profound, the Primordial Sword offered an easily accessible advantage and allowed them to quickly form a formidable fighting force, which made it quite popular.

Not only did the soldiers like it, but even someone like Tang Lin'er who, with the help of various elixirs, had cultivated to the Organ Refinement Realm, took a great liking to this sword technique.

He found that using Riding the Waves Sword and Wave Subduing Blade did not make him particularly powerful; in contrast, after switching to the Primordial Sword, his strength more than doubled.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.