Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 12

This single incident greatly increased Lu Wei's prestige within the caravan.

After Lu Wei rushed out and killed the enemy leader, Zhou Wen returned to the carriage. He listened to the cheers outside and silently continued to meditate and cultivate his internal energy.

------

Lu Wei sent several of his disciples to bury the thieves' bodies before returning to the carriage.

After learning that the Vanguard convoy had stopped, Xu Sheng and Sang Lin rushed over. By the time they arrived, everything had been settled.

After recounting the events to the two men, Xu Sheng remained silent for a moment before praising Lu Wei's actions and Zhou Wen's judgment.

“These people were expendable from the beginning, but the question is, who is directing them?”

Lu Wei lowered his eyes and wiped the stains off his sword, remaining silent in front of everyone.

Sang Lin had some thoughts: "Who would be the least willing to see this batch of goods transported from Yan to Chu?"

He looked at Xu Sheng, but Xu Sheng only shook his head: "The people who came may not be targeting this batch of goods; they may be targeting the farmers!"

"We need to see how things go."

“Since they are expendable pawns, their main force will surely appear at an opportune moment,” Zhou Wen said calmly. “Both Yan and Qi are our territory, and their gathering will be difficult to hide from the eyes of the peasants!”

“That’s right,” Xu Sheng nodded.

"After entering the State of Chu, a fierce battle awaits us."

Chapter 16 Surprise

If we don't count the wild rabbits and moon bears he killed in the mountains last winter, then today can be considered Lu Wei's first time killing.

Although such things are bound to happen, the thought of beheading fourteen people at once still made him quite uneasy.

To ensure his reputation among the farmers wouldn't be damaged, he used the Soul-Sweeping Technique on himself after killing someone. The effect was excellent; every disciple only saw their Commander Lu slaughter the enemy as easily as cutting melons and vegetables, then return with a disdainful expression as he sheathed his sword.

As for the discussion results of Xu Sheng, Sang Lin, and Zhou Wen, he didn't listen to them very carefully due to the aftereffects of the Soul-Sweeping Technique.

If I had spared one or two prisoners when I first struck, I could have obtained more information through interrogation. Unfortunately, I was too kind-hearted and forgot about that, ultimately sending the entire gang of thieves to their deaths...

Be careful next time!

After the meeting ended, the vanguard caravan was taken over by Xu Sheng and Sang Lin and continued on its way, while he and Zhou Wen waited for the caravans behind to catch up before getting a good rest.

During a break, Lu Wei checked on his four younger brothers.

Lu Mu's injuries were extremely severe. The wound running from his shoulder to his abdomen had torn open his flesh and injured part of his ribs. Furthermore, his subsequent forceful use of internal energy to decapitate his enemy had further ripped the wound open...

They were in a valley in the wilderness. The healers accompanying the caravan were of average skill, and it would be difficult to treat such injuries with such rudimentary conditions if they relied solely on these people.

Fortunately, Lu Mu's own Rejuvenation Technique has a certain self-healing ability, and with the healing pills that Lu Wei specially bought from the store and fed to him immediately, the wound infection and inflammation will no longer occur. All that is needed next is to suture and bandage it.

Shan Yuye stood helplessly to one side during the stitching process, wanting to do something but not knowing how, looking rather dim-witted.

This scene made Lu Wei feel conflicted: I need to add a professional physician to my team!

Of course, the doctor would think of Duanmu Rong's name first. This woman should still be studying with her master Nian Duan for the time being. She will be invited by Yan Dan to take care of Gao Yue soon after she leaves the mountain.

Yan Dan's methods and charisma are indeed extraordinary. He was able to make a disciple of the medical school not only devoted to the Yan state and the Mohist school, but also almost serve Gao Yue as his master.

I could theoretically fool such foolish women myself, but unfortunately, Nian Duan's whereabouts are unpredictable, making it difficult to deliberately find them.

After some thought, the old doctor finished stitching up the wound, bowed to Lu Wei, and left the makeshift tent.

Shan Yuye immediately surrounded Lu Mu, showering him with concern and care.

They didn't realize they had to make room until their leader himself walked over with his sword.

"Xiao Mu, did you modify this yourself?"

Holding the bronze sword that Lu Mu used to kill the scarred thief, Lu Wei carefully examined the simple yet practical mechanism on the hilt, his interest piqued.

“Yes, yes,” Lu Ye interjected before Lu Mu could speak, “Brother Mu’s family is a family of carpenters. He’s been making little toys for the village children since he was little!”

"I love the wooden crossbow he made the most; it can shoot sparrows and mice!"

"Oh?" Lu Wei was pleasantly surprised, but also felt a little annoyed: his fourth brother had such talent, and he had never noticed it before. It was a real mistake!

“Yeah, boss,” Lu Mu weakly stopped Lu Ye from continuing, and took over the topic himself: “I never had a chance to try it before, but after you gave me your bronze sword, I have the confidence to boldly experiment with my original longsword.”

"I never thought it would come in handy today..."

"I see~" Lu Wei's mind started working. Amu's skill, on a small scale, is carpentry, but on a larger scale, he is an excellent mechanical engineer!

"You should focus on recovering first. Once you've healed, I have something important to ask you to do!"

Having made up his mind, Lu Wei patted Lu Mu on the shoulder to encourage him, then led Shan Yuye out of the tent to ensure the wounded could have some peace and quiet.

He led his three younger brothers a distance, during which he pondered how to cultivate the Mountain Rain Leaf in different directions:

Lu Shan is indecisive, but his strength lies in his extremely detailed thinking and attention to detail. He is a suitable deputy, capable of getting things done without any fear of betrayal.

Lu Yu is a devoted fan of mine, and his loyalty is absolutely reliable. I can nurture his martial arts cultivation more; he's suitable to be a double-edged weapon.

Lu Mu became the biggest surprise, and Lu Wei decided to make him his master of mechanisms: there were many blueprints and teaching materials on mechanisms in the daily treasure chest. Since he didn't have the talent in this area, he would leave them all to Lu Mu!

If there's a chance in the future, I'll find him another master of mechanical arts to receive a proper education. I've already thought of a candidate for this master of mechanical arts: Gongshu Chou!

Given this person's obsession with mechanical arts, I'll use the valuable mechanical arts from the system shop as bait; I guarantee I'll make him sell himself to me.

Lu Ye is lively, but also petty and vengeful. He can be used to gather intelligence, but the most crucial thing is that Lu Mu and Lu Ye are each other's hostages. As long as one of them is in control, the other can also be controlled!

Today, Lu Mu's value to himself has increased, and Lu Ye's value has naturally risen accordingly.

If we continue to train them according to this initial plan, we can quickly establish a management team once we gain power!

------

A month passed quietly. Since the attack in the valley, the caravan had not encountered any new bandit groups and entered the State of Qi smoothly.

Unlike the bitterly cold state of Yan, the further south you go in Qi, the more comfortable the climate becomes, and the deeper your understanding of the phrase "beautiful mountains and clear waters" will become.

Lu Mu's injuries had mostly healed, and Lu Wei specially made room for him in his carriage so that he could recover better.

Of course, this came at a price. Lu Wei presented Lu Mu with a basic mechanical arts manual and formally asked him to continue developing his original hobby of carpentry as his main profession.

Lu Mu readily agreed to the request.

However, to learn mechanical arts, one needs stable living space and expensive materials, both of which are clearly unavailable in a caravan.

Lu Wei wasn't in a hurry. He simply told Lu Mu to memorize the knowledge on the two pieces of cloth first, and to put it into practice later.

While everything is progressing steadily, some minor flaws will also arise. For example, the trip to Xiaoshengxianzhuang, for which he had prepared gifts, could not be made this time.

The Confucian Xiaoshengxianzhuang is located in Sanghai, a coastal city, and is not on the route of the caravan.

This wouldn't have been a problem; Lu Wei had already figured out how to ask Xu Sheng for leave to take care of some personal matters.

Although the attack that occurred in the Yan Kingdom valley was dealt with swiftly, the enemy was probably still monitoring the caravan's every move.

Traveling alone significantly increases the risk.

The most crucial problem is that he has no idea who is plotting against the caravan.

As for whether Xu Sheng knew or not, that's hard to say...

On this day, after the caravan set up camp, the disciples were arranged to stand guard as usual, while the rest of the caravan went to sleep, as the fatigue from months of travel had been accumulating.

In the darkness, where no one was watching, two dark figures silently approached them!

The sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh was barely audible, masked by the nightingale's song in the treetops.

The next day, a scream woke the entire caravan that morning...

Chapter 17 Plans from all parties

Farmhouse, the main hall of Gonggong Hall.

"Where are they?"

A young man dressed in blue with a blue short sword at his waist stared at the cloth map on the wall, speaking in a frivolous tone.

The five-pointed star-shaped grass pendant hanging on his chest revealed his extraordinary identity: Tian Zhong, the chief steward of Gonggong Hall.

Behind him, a low-ranking disciple knelt, bowing his head and reporting:

"We have arrived at Qingfeng Ridge!"

"Has that person shown up?" Tian Zhong found the location of Qingfeng Ridge, his eyes revealing cunning, but his tone was slightly gentler.

"Not yet. The Yan Kingdom conducted a probe, but it was dealt with by one of Xu Sheng's newly recruited subordinates."

"Hmph, the Yan Kingdom wants to gain benefits without paying the price!" Tian Zhong turned around and walked past the kneeling disciple: "A band of a dozen thieves is their sincerity in cooperating? How greedy!"

The disciple lowered his head even further; this was not the time for him to speak.

Tian Zhong looked up at the ceiling, lost in thought. After a long while, he turned his head and asked, "Have we found our people?"

"Yes! Everything has been arranged as you instructed!"

"Xu Sheng's abilities are not bad, and we don't know how well that person has recovered, or who took the job?"

"Net!"

"Oh~" Tian Zhong laughed:

"This time, let's teach that old bastard Xu Qiu a good lesson!"

...

The State of Yan, the residence of Lord Yanchun.

Having just finished a fierce battle involving one dragon and two phoenixes, Lord Yanchun was slightly tired, but he still diligently received his subordinates who came to report the news.

"Your Majesty, the target has entered Qi, and our people have not been exposed yet!" The Black-Clad Shadow had recently joined Lord Yanchun's ranks, and he was eager to prove his abilities with achievements.

"Has Tian Zhong made any moves?"

Lord Yanchun yawned, completely disregarding his dignified demeanor, and asked.

"Not yet, I haven't told them about our arrangements."

“Very well, let those peasants kill each other! After the plan is launched, tell Tian Zhong that I do not want Xu Qiu to return to Jicheng.”

"Yes!" Jueying paused. "The Xu family father and son are no longer in Yan. Can we arrange for them to take over the Xu family's winery?"