In the lavish, antique office of exquisite elegance, Shen Wuxiang was seated before a tea table, sipping tea.
Even in the privacy of his own space, he sat ramrod straight, a habit ingrained from years in the military, impossible to shed no matter the effort.
Besides his enormous build and the sharpness of his aura, he had an intimidating presence.
This was the leading figure of the Phoenix Empire’s ard forces, a man whose authority, honed like a sword over ti,
could slay when unsheathed, deterring others from lightly challenging its edge.
Sitting opposite him was a gaunt elder in black-rimd glasses who had just brewed so Da Hong Pao tea, pouring it into a cup before Shen Wuxiang and asked, "Is the Military Minister preparing to make a risky move?"
Shen Wuxiang looked up at the old man and asked, "Does Mr. Sun consider this a gamble?"
"Though all suspicions point toward the Lu Family, there’s no solid evidence tying them directly... If the Lu Family strikes back, the situation could beco tricky to resolve."
"Resolve? What do you an by ’end’?" Shen Wuxiang retorted.
Mr. Sun, Sun Shehu, raised his middle finger to adjust the bridge of his glasses, his expression one of puzzlent as he looked at Shen Wuxiang and asked, "Is the Military Minister planning a decisive ga?"
"If that were the case, it would indeed be a good thing," murmured Shen Wuxiang as he picked up the golden tea, disregarding its scalding steam, and downed it in one gulp.
"It’s a pity, though, that so wish to safeguard, to control the board, aiming to win and do so elegantly, without paying any price..."
Mr. Sun naturally knew whom he was referring to as the safeguarder; after all, this nation was theirs, and naturally, they would seek to play their ga of power within the confines of their own rules.
They would promote so, draw in others, and then cut down yet others.
Just like the "Extinguishing of the Tang Family" years ago.
Was it solely the Tang family that was obliterated?
There were also those families tied to the Tangs by blood, and their core direct lines that relied on the Tangs’ existence.
A slaughter that saw heads roll en masse.
"So, does the Military Minister intend to flip the entire chessboard... where everyone fights on their rit, and the last one standing is the hero?"
"At the very least, I want to give every family a chance to join the fray... I’m now presenting the Lu Family to them. Will they cut them down or not? And to what extent?"
"Haha, the Lu Family... while famous for their technology and comrce, when the knife’s at their throat... that’s a tough chop, indeed."
"Difficult to chop, or is it that they dare not?"
"Both are true."
Mr. Sun looked at Shen Wuxiang and said, "A single Lu Ban Mountain, a hundred thousand troops could not fill. Lu Ban Mountain is majestic and imposing, and although not a top-tier famous mountain under New Star, with the Lu Family’s cultivation and managent over generations and centuries... even a hundred thousand troops would be insufficient to conquer it."
"Moreover, starting from their ancestor Lu Ban, the Lu Family has always controlled the world’s most advanced chanical technologies. The Phoenix Empire’s triumph over countless rivals to beco one of the strongest nations beneath the starry sky... the Lu Family’s technological contributions cannot be discounted."
"And this is given that the core mbers of the Lu Family have been selfish, hiding their best creations... If they fully commit their efforts, I fear that the galaxy would have been united by now..."
"If the Royal Family truly cuts down the Lu Clan, wouldn’t that be akin to blunt their own intellect? If they are indeed destroyed, that would be a different story... Then the Royal Family could completely take over the Lu Family’s industry and technology."
"But if the core figures of the Lu Family were to escape... to the Aus Empire or the Federation Governnt... wouldn’t that benefit them?"
"By the ti the Lu Family helps them strike back, whether the Phoenix can still withstand the onslaught is an unknown."
"So, I want to test it..." Shen Wuxiang said, "Test the Royal Family’s attitude towards the Lu Family."
"I’ll be the one to place the knife at the Lu Family’s throat, whether to behead them outright or to first slash off an arm and a couple of legs... I’ll listen to the decision from above."
"What I don’t understand," said Mr. Sun, his face wrought with bewildernt, "is why the Military Minister would do this?"
"Given the Shen Family’s position and power, no one can shake it in the slightest. It seems more sensible to sit back and watch the tigers fight, then step in to tidy up after they’re exhausted from the clash."
Shen Wuxiang shook his head softly and said, "That was indeed my initial thought."
"Why change your mind?"
"A couple of days ago, I went back to Luojia Mountain for so tea and had a chat with Xing Lan."
"Oh, what did young master Xing Lan say that made the Military Minister change his mind?" Mr. Sun asked with palpable curiosity.
He knew that Shen Wuxiang placed great importance on his grandson, regarding him as the future of the Shen Family to nurture.
Of course, the young master truly lived up to expectations, demonstrating exceptional cultivation talent from a young age, and was personally taken to White Crane Mountain by the Great Grandmaster, Xuanyuan Mingjing, for guidance while still a child.
He gained fa at a young age, recognized as a top-notch young man in the world.
It was said that he broke into the Grandmaster Realm recently by breaching the Mountain Gate, becoming the youngest Grandmaster in the history of the Phoenix Empire and in the history of cultivation...
Surpassing the record set by Tang Li, one of the Imperial Double Wall of his ti.
"He gave a wakeup call. If the Royal Family wants to seize power, then whose power is it they most want to seize?"
"..."
"Is the threat to the Royal Family greater from the Qin and Lu Families, or from the Shen Family?"
"..."
"The Shen Family may be strong, but are we stronger than the Tang Family of the past? If they could annihilate the Tangs, why couldn’t they annihilate the Shens?"
Mr. Sun sighed softly and said, "Young master Xing Lan has profound insight; despite his young age, he can unravel complexities and grasp the overall situation... He is indeed admirable."
"Don’t praise him too highly; what he can think of, we have too. It’s just that we were indulging in wishful thinking," Shen Wuxiang replied.
Shen Wuxiang took a sip of the tea and said wistfully, "Drunk when all are sober, certainly that’s a good thing... but what if I’m the only drunk when everyone else is awake?"
"So, the Military Minister is simply flipping the table?"
"Amidst the fog, like boiling water mirroring the moon, what is real and what is not, substantial or insubstantial, is hard to distinguish," said Shen Wuxiang. "Given this, I might as well flip the table."
"Whover the Royal Family aims to strike, I’ll hold a knife to their throat... If they make the cut, it’s good... "
"If we don’t cut it down?"
Shen Wuxiang’s eyes beca sharp, and he spoke in a deep voice, "Then the result is self-evident, isn’t it?"
Mr. Sun understood in his heart, but he did not dwell on this topic any longer, because it was too taboo.
"Would the Security Bureau give in if the Military Minister asked them to bring soone from Lu Ban Mountain?"
"Of course not," Shen Wuxiang said crisply. "If they were willing to, Lu Dongsheng wouldn’t have left the mont he caught wind of it."
"So, does the Military Minister an... the conflict is not intense enough?"
"I’ll send in several hundred people from the Security Bureau... along with a Tang Fei, and see if the big shark decides to open its mouth."
"The Military Minister is wise."
"It’s rely for survival."
------
Director Guo’s face was dark as water.
This was a death sentence for him.
And he couldn’t refuse.
His chubby face quickly filled with an eager smile.
With a protruding belly, he quickly walked up to Tang Fei and said, "We’ve found Lu Dongsheng’s whereabouts. The Military Minister has ordered us to ’invite’ him back for investigation at all costs... Director Tang, the opportunity for a ritorious deed is right before your eyes."
"Where is he?" Tang Fei asked.
"Lu Ban Mountain."
Tang Fei blinked and then looked at Director Guo with a grin, "You an to say, we’re going to Lu Ban Mountain to find soone?"
"What’s wrong with Lu Ban Mountain? Is it not part of the Empire’s land?" Director Guo was quick to parrot the Military Minister’s scolding word for word.
Of course, he didn’t dare to use the second part of that sentence.
Whether the people of the Lu Family were subjects of the Empire was not for him to judge.
Tang Fei narrowed his eyes, sizing up Director Guo, and asked, "Is that really what you think?"
Director Guo’s lips curled into a mocking smile, "What, is Director Tang scared?"
"Of course," Tang Fei replied without hesitation. "That’s Lu Ban Mountain. One Lu Ban Mountain, hundreds of thousands of troops... Although I have only been in New Star for a few days, I have heard of this saying."
"If you had solid evidence, that might be one thing... but now, without any evidence, only a trumped-up charge, you want to demand soone from Lu Ban Mountain..."
"Director Guo, are you really not the least bit anxious?"
Tang Fei had been to Lu Ban Mountain.
Right upon entering, he encountered their bewildering array.
Cars circled around, unable to find the way forward and also losing the way back.
What was worse, the overwhelming chanical army was everywhere.
Wolves, tigers, bees, and rats road freely.
Without exaggeration, had the old man not appeared in ti to break the chanical Array for him, his life would have likely been lost inside...
Tigers and leopards one could possibly fight, but those ubiquitous chanical Bees and chanical Rats made it impossible to guard against: a slight mishap and they’d take a bite out of you, ripping off a piece of flesh.
Those bees had long needles in their mouths that carried either an anesthetic or a poison, a single sting ensuring a good sleep or sending you straight to paradise.
They actually fancied that with this handful of people, they could go to Lu Ban Mountain and take away Lu Dongsheng, an important figure of the Lu Family. Wasn’t this simply walking into a trap and seeking death?
Tang Fei knew that the Lu Family would certainly not make things difficult for him.
After all, he was the long-lost grandson of Lu Qingshan, the master of the Lu Family...
But if they died and he lived,
Wouldn’t their relationship be hard to explain?
He could not go.
Absolutely could not go.
"Receiving the king’s grain, one should serve as the king’s minister and share the king’s concerns. What is there to fear? This is the aning of the Military Minister, and also the intent of the King. Could we possibly defy orders?" Director Guo insisted, neck stiff.
"The King ordered you to fetch soone from Lu Ban Mountain?"
"The King has entrusted the investigation of Zhong Tianque’s attack entirely to the Military Minister; the Military Minister’s will is also the King’s will."
Director Guo was not wrong in saying this.
Zhong Daolong had handed over the investigation authority of Zhong Tianque’s attack to the Imperial Military Committee and not to the Chief Steward, Chen Tianlei...
This had already shown his stance.
Tang Fei fell silent for a mont and then said, "This is of great importance, I must consult with my superiors first."
With that said, he stepped aside to call Yan Wenli.
"Dean, Director Guo has lost his mind; he’s taking us to Lu Ban Mountain to snatch a person. He says we must bring Lu Dongsheng back no matter what," Tang Fei imdiately condemned Director Guo the mont the phone was answered.
"He’s crazy, and you’re going crazy with him..." ca Yan Wenli’s uniquely hoarse voice through the phone.
Tang Fei looked stunned and uncertainly asked, "Are we really going?"
"Good luck to you."
Then the call was disconnected.
Tang Fei approached Director Guo and said, "I’ve persuaded the Dean; he agrees that we should go to Lu Ban Mountain to take a look..."
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