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Chapter 409 - 378: Backstab

Chapter 409: Chapter 378: Backstab

"Blind student, you’ve identified the essential point."

Under the full moon, Li Cheng chuckled lightly, "The answer is simple. The King of Cangze, three thousand years ago, didn’t foresee my arrival,

yet the mysterious figure from the Tu Family’s fourth branch, perhaps due to the closer timeline or stronger prophecy ability, knew I would appear.

At the same time, the interests pursued by the Tu Family members are not aligned.

For the Tu Family’s main branch, whose physical appearance completely deviates from normalcy, they cannot show themselves in society and can only hide on the island.

Therefore, they support the plan to integrate with the Frog God and complete the ancestral [Return Home] plan.

But for Tu Dongcong, who has a beautiful wife and concubines and a happy life, from the Tu Family’s third branch, he doesn’t want to [Return Home]; he prefers to continue living the life of a playboy."

"No wonder Tu Dongcong had a gunshot wound on his forehead. He attempted to resist the other Tu Family members and ended up killed, turned into a living corpse."

Sikong Lan suddenly understood, "The similarly insane Tu Qiaohua from the second branch also didn’t want to be integrated."

Thinking of Tu Qiaohua, Sikong Lan recalled something else: the white fish meat from the birthday feast and the giant salamander. What was going on?

Why did Tu Qiaohua tell everyone not to eat the fish at that time?

As if sensing his thoughts, Li Cheng laughed, "Let’s set that aside for now and return to the initial question.

Dragon Tiger Mountain is a righteous faction of the Great Ming, and the Jinyi Guard is the backbone of the Great Ming. Both parties received letters, yet they were completely unaware of each other’s presence."

Is that even a question?

Sikong Lan replied without hesitation, "There must be something wrong with the contents of the letters, mixed with half-truths to attract the court’s attention, yet not enough to send an army for a siege. Dragon Tiger Mountain and the Jinyi Guard didn’t know that the opposing side received the same letters."

"Or,"

Li Cheng calmly said, "Everything in the letter is true, and Dragon Tiger Mountain and the Jinyi Guard intentionally sent everyone here to die, thereby fulfilling the prophecy."

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Lu Hu declared decisively.

He was an orphan from the Border Army Guard brought up by the Jinyi Guard, filled with thoughts of loyalty and devotion to the country.

When promoted to Deputy Commander, he had an audience with Emperor Yong’an, who personally commended him and encouraged him by patting his shoulder and saying, "Do your best to protect the Great Ming’s mountains and rivers and the people. We rely on you, all of you."

One might say Lu Hu’s loyalty to Emperor Yong’an was unwavering 100%. He wished to eliminate all corrupt officials, burdensome nobility, wealthy local tyrants, and the Jurchen and Wokou to restore a bright and clear Great Ming.

Li Cheng didn’t mind Lu Hu’s sudden anger, "Whether possible or not, we need to ask those involved. Right, Tu Wangjuan... lady?"

"..."

Rainwater gathered into a puddle at the bottom of the deep pit as Tu Wangjuan, whose legs had melted, slowly straightened up, looking upward.

Su Konghu and others were startled, instinctively raising their weapons, aiming at Tu Wangjuan, who seemed as good as dead.

"Who are you really?"

Tu Wangjuan gazed intently at Li Cheng, her voice hoarse, "Why can’t I see your future?"

"How could you see it? To guard against those with prophecy abilities, I even use a slot machine to randomly determine my daily schedule."

Li Cheng grinned, glancing at the giant frog, "Apart from you, all the Tu Family members are on the brink of death, only you can remain conscious.

In other words, you don’t want to become a living corpse, or completely integrate into the Frog God."

"While integration would make one ageless and immortal, personal consciousness would be absorbed by the Frog God, becoming part of a larger whole. Other family members relish this, but to me, it’s akin to death."

Tu Wangjuan whispered, "Neither my father nor the ancient King of Cangze’s prophecy abilities are as good as mine, so the entire Return Home plan was pushed forward by me.

In addition to the original content meant to lure both parties onto the island, I added more information in the letters to Dragon Tiger Mountain and the Jinyi Guard.

For instance, offering Emperor Yong’an immortality."

Click.

Bullets were chambered as Lu Hu and Sikong Lan simultaneously raised their guns, fingers on the trigger.

Immortality?

Nonsense!

Just look at the state of these Tu Family members, neither fully alive nor dead, with their faces and eyelids melted. They radiate an aura of evil from the inside out.

"This is not immortality, and His Majesty would never agree."

Lu Hu’s expression was cold as iron, completely unfazed by Tu Wangjuan’s attempt to sow discord.

"He already agreed. The letter sent to the Jinyi Guard in Northern Zhili was taken straight to the Forbidden City."

Tu Wangjuan said calmly, "’Heavenly Questions’ states, ’What virtue does the nightlight have, when dead it regenerates? For what benefit, does the hare dwell in the belly?"

The hare refers to the toad.

A new star joins Mars on the seventh eve... Three thousand years ago, a giant frog fell from the Moon Palace and sank into the Southern Sea.

Its flesh and blood were completely burned away, trapped in a stone, unable to move, yet it longed to return home, so it resurrected the deceased prince of the Cangze Ancient Country and made a deal with him.

The prince returned to the shore, seized power, proclaimed himself king, and utilized the strength of the entire nation to build a bronze giant ship for the Frog God.

However, the time had not yet arrived. After the ship was completed, it would still require three thousand years to wait for the opportunity to return to the Moon Palace.

Thus, the king used his prophetic abilities to devise a plan, sinking the stone of the dormant Frog God into the seabed.

What happened afterward you all know, the Tu family’s ancestor, who had become a Tanka, discovered the stone and reclaimed the inheritance of the Cangze Ancient Country. To complete the return home, elevate the family and ascend to the Moon Palace, thus gaining immortality."

"Do you remember the names of the five branches of the Tu family?"

Li Cheng raised his finger and said, "The matriarch of the Tu family is named Tu Shi, the second branch is Tu Qiaohua, the third branch is Tu Dongcong, and the fourth branch is Tu Wangmo.

Stone bridge eastward facing the boundless sea,

Xufu coming in vain, unable to achieve immortality.

Sending Magu to scratch his back,

Can he stay alive waiting for mulberry fields.

This poem is ’On the Sea’ by Li Shangyin, which speaks of Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s obsession with immortality.

It satirizes the late Tang era, when Emperor Xianzong and Emperor Wuzong both died suddenly due to the poisoning from golden elixir sought in pursuit of immortality.

Emperor Shi pursued immortality but failed, yet the Tu family’s ancestors, who were once lowly Tanka, had already sought the way to immortality, thus proudly embedding the answer within their descendants’ names."

Tu Wangjuan continued, "I don’t want to become a puppet, so I sent a letter to Emperor Yong’an, achieving a deal.

There are strange alchemists in the palace, they helped me first, ensuring I wouldn’t merge with the giant stone and lose my willpower.

They will also help the emperor, using the Frog God’s return opportunity to aid him in achieving immortality."

Before the words fell, the silent Kuyu Monk suddenly raised the single soldier rocket launcher, aiming at Tu Wangjuan.

Lu Hu and Sikong Lan, their emotions roiling and nerves taut, instinctively turned their guns, aiming at Kuyu, shouting angrily, "What are you doing?"

"Borrowing the Evil God for immortality is far from the righteous path!!"

Kuyu’s eyes widened in fury, shouting loudly, "Emperor Shi consumed the golden elixir, dying in his prime, leading to the downfall of the Qin Dynasty after just two generations;

Emperor Taizong of Tang was obsessed with gold and stone elixirs, bringing about numerous illnesses, indirectly leading to the fall of the Great Tang to Wu Zhou;

Even our current dynasty’s Emperor Shizong, despite implementing reforms early in his reign, lost his motivation in middle age, trusting alchemists, causing chaos in the state, ’Jiaging Jiaging, family is clear’!

No matter how wise the emperor, once he desires immortality, it spells doom for the nation!

Moreover, this is the Evil God! Imagine, Emperor Yong’an achieving immortality through the Evil God, it would bring endless disaster to the Great Ming people..."

Although Kuyu was a monk, he still harbored a worldly desire to save people.

He was well aware of Emperor Yong’an’s accomplishments over his decades of reign: controlling military power, weakening the royal clan, pacifying court factions, suppressing aristocrats, quelling foreign threats, opening sea routes, improving governance, surveying land, calculating population, pursuing overseas colonization,

raising taxes and advancing policies, reviving Great Ming from centuries of decline, bringing prosperity to all industries, aside from displeased Confucian scholars, wealthy gentry, incompetent royal clan, and corrupt officials, the people adored Emperor Yong’an.

Kuyu also knew, such a brilliant and valiant emperor who made Great Ming great again,

once influenced by the Evil God, would lead to dire consequences.

Sikong Lan and Lu Hu’s pupils trembled fiercely, understanding Kuyu’s meaning, their minds in turmoil over the conflict between heavenly and human thoughts, deeply entangled.

Pfftt.

At the moment of stalemate, a dagger pierced Kuyu’s back with lightning speed, stabbing through his heart.

Its swiftness surpassed even those undead of the Innate Realm!

Zhang Fulu instinctively executed the Zhengyi Sword Technique, slashing at the attacker, while two Jinyi Guards also turned their guns.

Clang clang clang clang!

The surface of the dagger, covered in dense inner strength, instantly severed the Dragon Tiger Mountain Treasure Sword and shattered the firearms.

Everyone gazed in astonishment at the smiling Wang Biliu, her hand gripping the bloody dagger, kicking away the rocket launcher to prevent any threats to the Frog God in the deep pit,

no longer concealing her aura, suddenly revealing herself as... a Martial Arts Grandmaster!