The Journey of Projection Upgrading
Chapter 163: Ambush

As many had suspected, Princess Liang Yao's trip to Shangyuan this time had a special purpose.

However, this purpose was different from what many had in mind. It was not to win anyone over, but simply to obtain something.

It was a treasure about to emerge in the ancestral land of the Bai Family, extremely remarkable and possessed powerful effects.

Exactly how powerful it was, Liang Yao herself was unsure.

After all, she had only dreamt of such a thing and had never come into contact with it personally.

But one thing she was certain of was that this thing was extremely precious.

In her plans, this item played a significant role and was something she must obtain.

"Your Highness, what should we do?" Mr. Zhong spoke up.

"Continue to investigate," Liang Yao pondered for a moment before speaking, "Find an opportunity to make a move on some of the Bai Family elders, and transfer that Miss Bai away from the Bai Family. Don't let her stay there."

The emergence of the treasure in the Bai Family's ancestral land was closely related to Bai Qing.

Although Liang Yao couldn't be certain of the extent of the connection, there was definitely a relationship.

As long as Bai Qing remained, Liang Yao had no confidence she would succeed.

The logic behind this was quite clear.

So in order to achieve her goal, she had to first find a way to get rid of Bai Qing.

After some contemplation, Mr. Zhong nodded slowly.

In the following time, they each took action.

Transferring Bai Qing away seemed like a manageable step for Liang Yao.

After all, even though the situation was somewhat different from what she had dreamt of, some basic things remained unchanged.

No matter what, Bai Qing was currently like a useless person, completely devoid of internal energy. How much importance could the Bai Family elders attach to such a person? If a proper reason was given, she could be easily moved.

Despite her efforts, Liang Yao was surprised to discover that the Bai Family elders had a peculiar and rather complicated attitude towards Bai Qing's condition.

There were even many within the Bai Family who held a grudge against Bai Qing, like Bai Changyuan, a talented youth, who seemed to harbor some resentment towards Bai Qing, possibly due to some past grievances.

However, all of Liang Yao's probing attempts yielded no response.

No matter how much effort she exerted, Bai Qing remained unmoved, showing no signs of being swayed.

This situation left her feeling puzzled.

It shouldn't be like this.

Her methods should have been reasonable.

Even if it was someone who had fallen to the status of a waste, a normal Bai Qing should have reacted to some extent by now.

But the result was the opposite.

What went wrong?

Liang Yao found herself doubting her own methods.

In reality, there was nothing wrong with her ideas.

It was just that there were some issues with the execution.

Bai Qing had a backer.

Chen An was still sitting in the Bai Family.

With him there, what role did the other elders have in making decisions?

Wasn't Bai Qing going to get another beating?

This was the reason for Liang Yao's defeat.

Although she didn't understand the reason, as time passed, she realized one thing.

Continuing in this manner was likely futile.

Not only was it exhausting, but it was also ineffective.

So what should she do next?

It was simple.

Sophisticated planning often only required the simplest and most straightforward methods.

"Take the opportunity to strike when she's not at the Bai Family."

In the courtyard, Liang Yao spoke helplessly, "With your strength, Mr. Zhong, there shouldn't be a problem, right?"

After a moment of contemplation, Mr. Zhong nodded, still confident in his own capabilities.

He was a genuine Qi master, having reached the peak of the second layer of Qi, not far from reaching the third layer. Such a master, even within the Great Liang imperial family, was rare.

To be honest, there might not be such skilled individuals under the current sovereign of Great Liang.

The reason Liang Yao could command such a master was due to her unique precognitive ability, allowing her to plan ahead and enlist this master.

With his level of skill, dealing with an ordinary warrior would be no problem at all.

Mr. Zhong didn't see the task as challenging.

However, his current deliberation was focused on how to accomplish the task cleanly.

After all, although Bai Qing could be considered insignificant, the influence of the Bai Family was considerable. If Bai Qing was unintentionally drawn attention to, the consequences would not be ideal.

Liang Yao had been quite diligent in her planning lately.

She had been working hard to adhere to her dreams, and there were definitely secrets surrounding Bai Qing.

Directly causing trouble would be a risky move.

Nevertheless, at this point, she had no other options.

The time for the emergence of the treasure was approaching, and to prevent any surprises, she needed to remove Bai Qing from Shangyuan County and keep her far away.

Since she couldn't directly get rid of her, she had to resort to the next best option.

Even if it failed, at the very least, she could extract more information for future preparations.

That was what she had planned and decided to do.

The initial stages of the plan proceeded quite smoothly.

After all, Bai Qing held a significant position in the family.

Although she was no longer able to cultivate internal energy, her diligent and dedicated demeanor made it impossible for her to have an easy time.

Leaving the Bai Family to perform tasks outside was a normal occurrence.

Mr. Zhong didn't have to wait long before finding an opportunity.

It was a midday more than two months later when Bai Qing was preparing to visit a county in search of something.

During this process, Bai Qing often fell behind the entourage.

For those with ulterior motives, this was a rare opportunity.

In a desolate cave entrance, Bai Qing stood alone, gazing at the surroundings.

"Is this the place?" Bai Qing murmured to herself, lost in thought.

"Almost," echoed the voice of the Empress Luo Shan in her mind, "As the era of change approaches, the qi of your world is beginning to recover."

"This place is decent. With the recovery of qi in the future, it may have the potential to become a treasure land."

"Really?" Bai Qing's interest was piqued, as the value of a treasure land was indisputable.

In the entire Great Liang Empire, there were only a few places that could truly be considered treasure lands, each held by the most powerful families, not allowing outsiders to covet them.

If this place could truly evolve into a treasure land, then establishing a presence there would mean being able to reap the benefits in the future.

"Of course it can. When have I ever lied to you?" Luo Shan Empress reassured.

Hmm?

Seven to eight hundred years? Are you serious?

Bai Qing was speechless.

This was quite the span of time.

Initially, she had considered securing this prime location ahead of time.

But now, with the prospect of it taking hundreds of years for this place to transform into a treasure land, it seemed she'd be long gone by then, perhaps even turned to ashes.

"Don't be surprised," Luo Shan Empress continued, attempting to entice her, "While seven to eight hundred years may seem long, for us cultivators, it's just a short time."

Bai Qing, however, remained unperturbed.

Plotting her way around, she was about to leave.

But at that moment, her body froze involuntarily.

A terrifying aura pressed down from the front, overwhelming and formidable.

Was that Qi?

Who was attacking her?

Bai Qing's heart immediately went on alert.

With her familiarity with Qi, thanks to Chen An as a reference, she quickly realized the situation.

Someone with Qi was making a move on her.

But why?

Bai Qing continued to recoil, beginning to consider her options.

Who could possibly be targeting her?

The Bai Family elders?

It didn't make sense.

Despite the unpleasant interactions she had with them, she was still a member of the Bai Family.

The elders wouldn't go so far as to eliminate her over previous disputes, especially with Chen An still in the picture.

If it wasn't the elders, then who else?

Bai Qing didn't think she had anything that would warrant a Qi master attacking her secretly. And to use such an underhanded method against someone who had lost all their internal energy was simply dishonorable!

Before she could contemplate further, a clear sound erupted from the front.

In a dim corner, the figure of Mr. Zhong emerged, standing tall and distinguished, his face bearing a mask of bronze. His attire had been specially treated to give him the appearance of a seasoned assassin.

However, at this moment, his face displayed a hint of surprise, unexpected that his dishonorable ambush had not succeeded in bringing down Bai Qing.

For a Qi master to launch a surprise attack, even on a completely depleted warrior like Bai Qing, the expectation was for a swift defeat. Similar to how Bai Changming had been easily knocked out by Chen An previously.

Mr. Zhong was convinced that Bai Qing should not have been able to evade his strike.

Yet the seemingly assured outcome turned out to be an unexpected result.

Bai Qing's response to the strike was definitely not what he anticipated.

"Indeed, there are secrets," Mr. Zhong sighed, not too surprised.

After all, Liang Yao had made sure to warn him to be cautious before they set out.

The occurrence of such an event was, therefore, not entirely unexpected.

"Who are you?" Bai Qing's face paled a little, her gaze fixed on Mr. Zhong, still feeling slightly shaken.

In that moment, she truly thought she was going to die.

It was only at the critical moment that the Empress Luo Shan within her body had intervened, saving her from a dire fate.

"Of course, I'm the one here to kill you," Mr. Zhong's gravelly voice echoed, masked by a face of bronze and attired to resemble a trained assassin.

"Blame yourself for getting involved with the wrong people."

As Mr. Zhong advanced forward, his face showing some surprise, Bai Qing was left momentarily bewildered.

Why wasn't she aware of having offended anyone?

Perplexed, she couldn't understand why trouble kept finding her despite her recent efforts to remain discreet and dutiful.

"What do you think?" the voice of Empress Luo Shan chimed in her mind, "Do you want me to help you out?"

"Let go of your resistance, temporarily entrust your body to me, and I can help you overcome this hurdle."

The audacity of that woman, Bai Qing thought. How long had she been waiting here?

She had been expecting the Empress to inform her of the impending danger, yet the warning never came.

It seemed like the Empress had purposely withheld the warning, waiting for Bai Qing to willingly surrender her body.

In the worst-case scenario, the Empress might have paved the way for this assassin to strike.

It was plausible.

Judging by Bai Qing's understanding of Empress Luo Shan, such actions were within her capabilities.

After taking a cursory look around, she reluctantly realized that without the Empress's power, her fate was sealed.

This left Bai Qing with a dilemma: surrender her body to Empress Luo Shan temporarily, risking further erosion from her power, or face a silent death?

The decision was clear, even though there wasn't really a choice.

(End of the Chapter)