Chapter 49: All-Out Attack
Chapter 49: Chapter 49: All-Out Attack
Only Lu Zhao and Zhou Kang remained in the stone house. The air grew heavy, the silence oppressive. It was Lu Zhao who finally broke the suffocating tension. "Uncle Kang, it’s been little more than a year. How have you aged so much?"
Zhou Kang took a deep breath, his voice raw and hoarse. "I’m a man with one foot in the grave. Why should I care about this old body? But you, Mr. Lu..." He looked up at Lu Zhao, a flicker of light finally appearing in his murky eyes. "In just over a year, you’ve already reached the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer. I must truly congratulate you."
Before he could finish, Lu Zhao shot to his feet, his eyes locked on Zhou Kang’s. His voice was laced with urgency. "Uncle Kang! Are you being sent on a perilous mission?"
Zhou Kang seemed slightly surprised. "Oh? What makes you say that, Mr. Lu?"
"From the moment he walked in, that Zhou Hua has treated you as if you were nothing! If this mission of yours weren’t so incredibly dangerous, how could a mere new Shopkeeper like him dare to be so arrogant, given your decades of seniority and connections within the Zhou Family?"
Lu Zhao didn’t voice the deeper implication. ’In Zhou Hua’s eyes, Zhou Kang was already as good as dead!’
"Hahahaha... As expected of you, Mr. Lu!"
Hearing this, Zhou Kang suddenly roared with laughter, a sound filled with endless sorrow and regret. "To think that I, Zhou Kang, despite having only a Middle-Grade Spirit Root, reached Entry Level Qi Cultivation at sixteen, the Mid-stage by twenty-five, and the Late-stage by forty! I was only from a side branch, with no powerful Elder from the main line to back me, yet I was still considered one of the most outstanding figures of my generation! Laughable, truly laughable!"
His voice grew more agitated, heavy with resentment and anguish. "But what happened after reaching the Late Stage? With insufficient resources, I struggled for thirteen years just to barely climb to the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer. Seeing that Foundation Establishment was a hopeless dream, I grew complacent. I thought I might as well take a wife, have children, enjoy a peaceful family life, and pin my hopes for Foundation Establishment on my descendants.
"And so, I began to slack off in my cultivation. At first, I still managed to train every other day. Then it became once every seven days! Day after day, year after year, my Qi and Blood declined with time. I was lucky my cultivation didn’t regress. The realm of the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer... it ultimately became an illusion, like the moon in the water or a flower in a mirror..."
Tears of despair and regret traced the wrinkles on his face, his voice cracking. "If I had only persisted in my hard cultivation back then, even as my Qi and Blood began to decline, I could have grinded my way to the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer!
"If I were at the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer, even if I couldn’t become a Preparatory Elder, I would never have ended up in this state, being sent to shatter my old bones against the Marketplace’s Grand Array!"
"Ha... ha... ha... ha..."
Those broken, stuttering breaths were more wretched than any sob. Lu Zhao watched silently as Shopkeeper Zhou beat his chest and stamped his feet, utterly devastated. His own knuckles were white from how tightly he clenched his fists. Never before had he craved power more than in this very moment.
A quarter of an hour later, Shopkeeper Zhou finally composed himself. "I lost my composure," he said. "My apologies for the scene, Mr. Lu."
"Mr. Lu, I feel I must say this: while Zhou Hua is arrogant and does indeed covet your Puppetry,"
"he at least operates out in the open, without resorting to the schemes of lesser men."
"If you were to join Zhou Ming’s faction, they would surely use insidious and vile methods against you."
Seeing this, Lu Zhao bowed solemnly to the Shopkeeper. "Please advise me, Uncle Kang."
Zhou Kang didn’t immediately offer a strategy, instead beginning to explain the Zhou Family’s internal factional struggles to Lu Zhao.
"Both Zhou Hua and I are under the command of Preparatory Elder Zhou Qiling. Elder Qiling is one of the family’s nine Preparatory Elders."
"I have followed Elder Qiling for many years, so I know he is a man with principles. Even if he has designs on your Puppetry, he would disdain using despicable means to get it."
"That Zhou Ming, however, is a subordinate of another Preparatory Elder, Zhou Qilan. This Elder Qilan is known to be insidious and ruthless, accustomed to using methods that can’t see the light of day."
"If you still have a choice in the matter, I would still advise you to stay on Elder Qiling’s side."
"As for how to deal with those who covet it... I recall that Puppetry is a profound and difficult art to learn. Without talent, one could spend ten years of hard work and still not reach the Entry Level, correct?"
Shopkeeper Zhou deliberately emphasized the two words ’Entry Level.’ Hearing this, Lu Zhao understood at once.
"I have but one word for you—’Stall.’ Stall until you break through to the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer. At that point, the vast sea will be yours to leap in, and the boundless sky yours to fly through. As for the precise timing, I trust I don’t need to elaborate."
When he finished, Lu Zhao gave Shopkeeper Zhou another deep bow.
Shopkeeper Zhou, however, sidestepped the gesture and bowed back to Lu Zhao. "With your sharp mind, Mr. Lu, you would have thought of this method soon enough, even without my prompting."
"However, I have a favor to ask—a promise I’d like to ask of you." Lu Zhao looked up at the Shopkeeper, his silence a clear indication for him to speak his mind.
"My friend, at my age, there’s little to regret if I die on the battlefield. The only one I can’t rest easy about is my unpromising grandson at home."
"He is weak-willed and naive. Even with the family’s protection, I fear he won’t survive long in this perilous Cultivation Realm without a reliable person to look after him."
"I once entrusted him to the care of an old friend. But sadly, that friend is also old now and probably can’t watch over him for many more years."
"I can tell from your demeanor, Mr. Lu, that you are destined for greater things. One day, if you have the opportunity, reaching Foundation Establishment is not out of the question for you."
"In the future, should you be fortunate enough to reach Foundation Establishment, I wonder... could you mention my name within the Zhou Family? Just say that you once had an old acquaintance like me, and that my grandson is the descendant of an old friend." Having said his piece, Shopkeeper Zhou bowed deeply once more.
Hearing this, what could Lu Zhao say? "Thank you for placing such importance on me, Uncle Kang." He rose solemnly, bowed, and made a sincere promise. "On this matter, I will do everything in my power!"
Watching Shopkeeper Zhou’s back as he departed the stone room, Lu Zhao was filled with a mix of emotions.
The month passed in a flash. A new military order struck the Hundred Arts Camp like a clap of thunder: "Two thousand Qi Cultivators, divided into ten teams, advance! Objective—breach the array!"
Lu Zhao surged forward with the other Cultivators of the Hundred Arts Camp. As soon as he reached the front, his gaze fell upon the house-sized Mountain-Splitting Crossbows he had seen before. Now, they were arranged in neat rows, numbering more than thirty—over three times the previous amount!
The formation was imposing. The grim figures of the Cloud Pattern Cavalry and the Law Enforcement Team flanked the battle array, and a murderous aura permeated the field.
But even more unnerving was the sight in the sky—the "Flowing Cloud Ship," a behemoth that had lain dormant for over a year, now tore through the clouds once more. The majestic Flying Ship hovered in the air.
Among the ranks of the Hundred Arts Camp, Lu Zhao’s sharp gaze pierced through the main army, glimpsing an inconspicuous squad on the outskirts. They numbered little more than ten, yet every one of them was a Late-stage Qi Cultivator. Their temples were all streaked with gray, and they were all shrouded in a heavy, lingering twilight aura. Among them, one figure stood out—it was Shopkeeper Zhou.