Chapter 462
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Chapter 462: "Mr. Nalan"
The next day, at the antique shop.
Bai Wei entered the shop carrying a wooden box. He opened the box and found the head of a fierce tiger resting on a fur.
Liu Tingyun looked at the wooden box, unable to hide his astonishment.
"The taxidermy on this is really well done."
"Tiger skin is easier, you can just pull it apart, like pulling apart a leek."
"Can I keep this skin?"
"Okay, I can sell it to you at the market price. It doesn’t have any use to keep it anyway."
"Please wait a moment." Liu Tingyun took out his wallet and handed over three pieces of paper. "Here are one hundred thousand dragon coins."
"Is the market price really so expensive?"
"It’s this piece of hide that’s expensive." Liu Tingyun gently touched the animal skin and said, "Young Master Bai probably never imagined how many people would love to have its flesh and sleep on its skin."
"Are you one of them?"
"I was planning on keeping this tiger skin as a gift for someone." Liu Tingyun looked at the tiger’s head and pondered how to handle it.
"Can we preserve it and hang it up as a specimen?"
"That’s actually a good idea." The old scholar laughed heartily.
Bai Wei watched as the other person put away the tiger skin and head and brought up the matter at hand. "I have fulfilled your Miss’s request. It’s time to let me meet Mr. Nalan."
Liu Tingyun nodded and said, "Since the young master willingly enters the game, we should accept it. But I hope you won’t find anything strange about Miss."
Bai Wei nodded.
Liu Tingyun led Bai Wei to another place, going underground and passing through an underground passage, they arrived at another courtyard.
The yard here is deep and quiet, with green bamboo standing tall. After entering the main hall, they could see a figure behind a screen.
She was thin and sitting on a chair.
"Please forgive me for not being able to meet Young Master Bai directly," a slightly hoarse voice came from behind the screen. "I have also experienced many things, my appearance has been mostly destroyed, and I don’t want to scare you. But Young Master Bai doesn’t need to worry that he can’t confirm my identity without seeing my face."
Bai Wei sat on a bamboo chair and asked, "How can you prove that you are Mr. Nalan?"
Liu Tingyun walked behind the screen and brought out an item, a blue tail feather of Bi Fang.
An explanation came from behind the screen, "These two tail feathers come from the same source, they were split in half. There is no other tail feather like them in the world, unless they are the same one."
After comparing, Bai Wei nodded and said, "It is indeed the same one."
"Can we trust Young Master Bai?"
"I’m just cooperating. Whether you are Mr. Nalan or not, it doesn’t matter to me."
"What’s important is how to save Bai Ze Kingdom, right?" a hoarse voice from behind the screen asked, "Why do you think I can help you?"
"Do what you can, and leave the rest to fate," Bai Wei said. "If it’s not possible, I can only go to Yunmeng City and kill thirteen thousand enemies."
"If Young Master Bai has such power, it would be worth trying."
"I will consider it."
Bai Wei’s voice was firm. He wasn’t joking. If his Golden Power reached a moderate level again, he would dare to face thousands of enemies.
However, if it’s possible to save Bai Ze Kingdom without defending the city, that would be the best.
Nalan said, "I understand Young Master Bai’s decision. As a gesture of sincerity, I will also tell you something… I actually came to Bi Fang Country as a bride. I was secretly planning strategies as an advisor, but I didn’t expect Bi Fang to perish and everything went out of control."
Bai Wei asked, "What is the situation?"
Nalan replied, "I am also investigating that."
"You are so close to each other, yet you don’t know who the murderer is?"
"We may not be physically close, but we know who the murderer is… On the day before Bi Fang fell to the princes, they joined forces to kill him."
Bai Wei was surprised, "They joined forces?"
"Xiangliu, Qiongqi, Ba Xia, Tao Wu, and seven others."
"You seem to have quite a few enemies."
"It doesn’t make sense for the seven of them to team up against Bi Fang. In fact… Tao Wu and others didn’t benefit from this at all. Two of them were seriously injured, and one prince died directly," Mr. Nalan explained, "On the day when the princes gathered in the imperial court, suddenly a fight broke out, causing the heavens and earth to tremble. Bi Fang escaped but died soon after, triggering strange phenomena for miles around. Something is not right."
"The palace… did they die in the palace?" Bai Wei raised an eyebrow. "Is there a possibility that this was a scheme by a skilled strategist?"
"I have considered it, but I haven’t found any clues. Even if we have an answer, it would only be…"
"The palace, the Third Princess," Bai Wei said. "Are you trying to find out the truth about Bi Fang’s fall from her?"
"Since Young Master Bai is going to the palace to meet the Demon Emperor’s bloodline, I hope you can ask on my behalf."
"Yes, you could do that, but even if you find out the truth, it won’t help the current situation. Bi Fang is already dead, and as long as you stay in Longyao City, even if you ponder about restoring the kingdom, money alone won’t be enough." Bai Wei hit the nail on the head. "I’m actually willing to help you restore the kingdom, but only if Liu State restores the vassal states. Lord Qiongqi won’t be interested in targeting Bai Ze Kingdom anymore. At least we can establish a clear order of events, if not fearing the same fate happening again."
The Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom is a complex place, with conflicts intertwining like canine teeth. Bi Fang and the other vassal states have deep hatred towards each other. No one will simply watch as it seeks revenge and succeeds.
Even Xiangliu and Lord Qiongqi are not in a rush to swallow this land. One reason is that both sides want to use this relatively vast territory as a buffer zone until one side’s power expands too much, triggering a full-scale war. This means that both sides can intervene at any time, but for now, they are just exerting influence. It is nearly impossible to restore the kingdom here.
Will there be a chance if we choose another place to restore the kingdom? Actually, there won’t be.
A country is formed by its people, and the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom is a conglomerate of interest groups. Now it has become a group of scattered sand, without the support of the people, without a government, and even without a ruler. How can we talk about restoring the kingdom?
"These matters, don’t bother Young Master Bai with them," Mr. Nalan said calmly, "We have been preparing for the restoration of our country for a long time, we are just waiting for an opportunity. This will bring great benefits to the Bai Ze Kingdom."
"Am I your hope?"
"Maybe not, but we have no choice," she said in a low voice, "Qiongqi and Xiangliu can endure, they think of conquering the world. But Ba Xia is not like them, it’s like a insatiable beast. Three cities this year, five cities next year, ten cities the year after…"
Bai Wei nodded, "Please continue with your clever argument."
"Ba Xia wants Longyao City, more than half of Liu State will fall into its hands. Our years of planning will be in vain."
"So, you have hidden your strength for many years, what strategies have you made? Where will you make your move?" Bai Wei asked.
"Ba Xia is not Qiongqi or Xiangliu. It just devours everything and swallows it whole, without thoroughly chewing. So, we have left a poison pill for it."
"The Trojan horse plan?" Bai Wei pondered.
The strategist affirmed, "Yes, Mentor’s Trojan horse plan, deceiving the enemy and combining reality with illusion, is truly a miracle in military history. His military talents are worthy of being ranked in the top ten in history, and it is also one of the inspirations for my own strategy."
"Marvelous, marvelous," Bai Wei humbly said.
Mr. Nalan seemed to tilt his head slightly, "?"
"Ahem, please continue, sir," Bai Wei’s expression became more sincere, and the tactic of mutual praise satisfied someone’s vanity. The feeling of being praised by the reserved and rigorous Eastern strategists was quite exhilarating.
"Restoring the country is not an overnight task for us. We must gradually infiltrate and at least have the ability to withstand Lord Qiongqi’s troops. That’s why Ba Xia is an excellent buffer zone," Nalan continued, "Disturb Ba Xia, cause internal conflicts, seize the opportunity to arm ourselves and capture cities, hold onto strategic locations, and buy time for the restoration of our country."
"Have you not considered the Xiangliu clan?"
"I understand Wang Ran… he will not agree to send troops, plus, there is intense struggle for succession within the Xiangliu clan, with the military and civilian officials divided," Mr. Nalan paused between phrases, "Time is of the essence, we can only give it our all."
Bai Wei tapped his fingers on his thigh, "What do you need me to do? Disturb Ba Xia, buy time, it sounds simple, but I have to take Princess Bai Ze to the capital. If I make too much noise, it might jeopardize the mission and the situation."
"Princess Bai Ze has already attracted attention from various sides, whether it’s people from the rivers and lakes, bounty hunters, or pieces put into play by strategists," Mr. Nalan said, "The path to the capital has been thoroughly assessed, it would be quite convoluted."
"I’m well aware," Bai Wei said calmly, "I will carve a path with my sword."
"Does Young Master Bai really care about Princess Bai Ze? Why?" Mr. Nalan didn’t understand. "What favor does she owe you?"
"It’s just a debt that can’t be repaid. I only hope she stops crying." Bai Wei didn’t want to explain too much, and said, "You haven’t made your intentions clear. In business, fairness is important. I am offering to be a sworn brother as the Tiger General, so you shouldn’t hide or hold back. If your plans are powerful, explain them clearly. I will consider whether to cooperate with you depending on the situation. Even if we end up on a pirate ship, I still have the option to return to Bai Ze Kingdom, but you don’t."
Bai Wei doesn’t bother much with politics, but he is skilled in military affairs and negotiations. Being cooperative doesn’t mean he will be led by the nose.
Helping Mr. Nalan restore his country is just a business transaction. She keeps the specific details hidden and mysterious.
Bai Wei’s most desired thing is the negotiation materials with the Third Princess of the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom. He is unsure if Mr. Nalan has the possibility of persuading the Third Princess to intervene. Therefore, he doesn’t want to waste time on empty words and delays.
Mr. Nalan remained silent for a long time and said, "It’s always like this when plotting. How could a strategist reveal all their plans and chess pieces? Action is 70% and leaving room for maneuvering is 30%. This is a simple principle in the world. Strategists only reveal 30% and leave 70% for mystery and possibility of retreat… I know this may not be very favorable, but Young Master Bai is right, we have no way back."
"If the Tiger General goes back, the city of Panther’s Eye will surely be taken over by him. Leaving Liu State and entering Ba Xia will be blocked, like a fishbone stuck in the throat. The dream of restoring the country might also become an illusion. Even if there’s a slim chance if he dies, once the arrow is shot, it cannot be taken back. We must carry out the plan to restore the country until the end… We’re already on the brink of life and death, and if we continue to hide, it will be truly embarrassing. If it was your mother instead, she wouldn’t continue to hide either."
The person behind the screen stood up, and their voice went from hoarse to ethereal and clear.
"Miss…" Liu Tingyun hesitated.
But the person behind the screen waved their hand, and with a gentle push, the screen collapsed, revealing a graceful young figure behind it.
She had bright eyes and white teeth, with indigo hair. She wore a blue dress that resembled a lotus, and her features were delicate, showing a slight mix of worry and seriousness beyond her age.
"Nice to meet you, young Master Bai Wei. My name is Nalan Qingshu. It has been three years since my mother, Nalan Jinghuai, passed away. Now I am responsible for taking care of her affairs."
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