Chapter 195: An Old Friend Joins! Dispatching the Troops
Chapter 195: Chapter 195: An Old Friend Joins! Dispatching the Troops
Ji Fuhui’s eyes lit up. "It’s that good?"
"Of course." Zhu Ge patted his chest. "I’m never stingy with my brothers."
Ji Fuhui grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.
His smile was different now. Before, it was always a cheeky grin.
Now, it held a certain steadiness, but that spark of cleverness hadn’t faded in the slightest.
"Then I’m sticking with you," Ji Fuhui said happily.
"You’re welcome to." Zhu Ge clapped him on the shoulder. "The gates of the Six Paths Palace will always be open for you."
Instead of returning to the tea room, the four of them set up a table for drinks right there in the stone chamber.
The drinks were fruit wine from Ding Ding. Though not particularly strong, it was prized for its sweetness.
The food was from the barracks: a pot of stewed meat, a basin of wild vegetables, and a few coarse-grain flatbreads.
The arrangements were crude, but the atmosphere was warm.
Duan Lei held his wine bowl, drained half of it in one go, wiped his mouth, and stared fixedly at Zhu Ge.
"Zhu Ge, tell me the truth. Just how strong are you now?"
"How strong?" Zhu Ge thought for a moment. "Beating someone in the Third Realm is no problem, but I’d still have to put in some effort against a top-tier expert of the Third Realm."
After all, he had only been at a slight disadvantage when facing three Third Realm prodigies earlier.
"So that means you *can* fight the Third Realm!" Duan Lei slapped his thigh. "I can’t even beat the Second Realm, and you can already fight the Third Realm! Are you fucking human?"
"Of course I’m human," Zhu Ge said with a laugh. "I just got lucky and ran into some benefactors and opportunities."
"What benefactors?" Ji Fuhui asked curiously.
Zhu Ge glanced at Yu the Scholar. The Scholar held his wine bowl, his face impassive, but his ears were pricked up, listening intently.
"It’s hard to say," Zhu Ge said after a moment’s thought. "Their whereabouts are kept secret, so I can’t disclose any information about them."
"Then don’t," Yu the Scholar said nonchalantly, raising his wine bowl. "It wouldn’t do us any good to know anyway. Figures of that caliber are too far removed from our world."
Duan Lei scratched his head. Though curious, he didn’t press the issue. He raised his wine bowl, took a large swig—GULP GULP—and wiped his mouth. "So, your Six Paths Palace... just how big is it? How many people? How many Demon Beasts?"
Zhu Ge thought for a moment, counting on his fingers. "Three Third Realm Demon Beasts—a Sword and Axe Mantis and a Strong Monkey King. Dozens of Second Realm Demon Beasts, and over a hundred First Realm Demon Beasts."
"On the human side, we have three hundred Martial Artists and eighty Confucian Scholars over at Jianshui City. Add in the soldiers I recruited from my village, and the five thousand Soldier Daoist Soldiers that City Lord Ding just gave us, and it comes to nearly six thousand people."
Duan Lei’s mouth fell open wider and wider as he listened, until his jaw nearly hit the table. "S-six... six thousand people? And Third Realm Demon Beasts? This isn’t a faction, this is a rebellion!"
"What are you talking about, rebellion?" Zhu Ge said, kicking him with a laugh. "The Da Sheng Dynasty has existed in name only for a long time now. What I’m doing is reclaiming Red River Prefecture so the people can survive."
"’But that *is* a rebellion, isn’t it?’ Duan Lei muttered, though his eyes were filled with excitement. ’Still, I like it! Better to be doing something with you than rotting away here waiting to die.’"
Ji Fuhui, on the other hand, hadn’t said much. He just drank his wine, waiting for Zhu Ge to finish before speaking up. "Zhu Ge, your Six Paths Palace... are you short on people from the Mechanical Dao?"
"We are," Zhu Ge nodded with a smile. "Desperately. We’re especially in need of a Mo Family Mechanical Dao disciple from a small mountain village, full of ambition, with a big appetite and the grit to endure hardship."
"It would be even better if that person’s surname was Ji. And of course, best of all if his name was Ji Fuhui."
Ji Fuhui grew embarrassed and scratched his head.
Zhu Ge raised his wine bowl and clinked it against Ji Fuhui’s. "You’ll be well compensated. Not just with a salary, but with merit points. You can exchange those points for Cultivation Techniques, medicinal pills, and Spiritual Artifacts."
"Work hard, and maybe I’ll put you in charge of the Six Paths Palace’s Mo Family Engineering Institute in the future."
Ji Fuhui’s eyes lit up, and he nearly dropped the wine bowl in his hands.
"Really?"
"When have I ever lied to you?"
Ji Fuhui took a deep breath, drained the wine in his bowl in one gulp, and then nodded with great solemnity.
"Deal."
The four of them drank late into the night, emptying three jars of wine.
Duan Lei was already passed out on the table, his snores so loud they made the whole stone chamber hum.
Ji Fuhui was leaning against a wall, his eyes half-closed. It was hard to tell if he was asleep or lost in thought.
Yu the Scholar was still awake, nursing half a bowl of wine and sipping it slowly.
His white hair seemed to glare under the dim light, but his eyes were much brighter than before.
Zhu Ge wasn’t drunk either.
His Heart of Martial Arts Origin activated on its own, and his Blood Qi neutralized most of the alcohol the moment it entered his system.
He held his wine bowl and looked at Yu the Scholar, hesitating to speak.
"Say what’s on your mind," Yu the Scholar said without looking up.
"Your lifespan... just how much do you have left?" Zhu Ge asked, his expression grave.
Yu the Scholar’s hand paused for a fraction of a second. He was silent for a moment, then managed a smile. "Not much. But it’s enough."
"How long is ’enough’?" Zhu Ge pressed.
Yu the Scholar looked up, meeting his eyes. "Don’t worry. It’s enough for me to use that ink brush technique one more time."
Zhu Ge fell silent.
Previously, Yu the Scholar had used a single brushstroke to trap the Raincoat Fisherman’s fishhook.
And doing so had consumed nearly all of his remaining lifespan.
Zhu Ge raised his wine bowl, clinked it against Yu the Scholar’s, and drained it. "Get to the Third Realm as soon as you can. Five hundred years of life!"
Yu the Scholar didn’t speak, just smiled and slowly finished the remaining wine in his bowl.
...
Early the next morning, Zhu Ge was awakened by a clamor.
He opened his eyes to find the stone chamber empty.
Duan Lei’s bedroll was neatly tied, Ji Fuhui’s tool bag was gone, and even the bowl with Yu the Scholar’s remaining wine had been cleared away.
He rubbed his eyes and stepped out of the stone chamber.
In the corridor, Soldiers were in the middle of their morning drills.
Zhao Tieshan was leading the Martial Artists in conditioning their bodies, their shouts shaking the heavens. Meanwhile, Li Qingquan led the Confucian Scholars in reciting the classics, their melodious voices filling the air.
Everything was orderly and disciplined.
The survivors carried themselves with a grim, martial air that hadn’t been there before.
Moreover, they had taken it upon themselves to share the ideals and beliefs they had heard from Zhu Ge with the Soldiers that Ding Ding had assigned to him.
"All for one, and one for all. Drive out the invaders, and reclaim our homeland."
’And so, everyone’s whole demeanor has changed?’
"Palace Master Zhu!" Zhao Tieshan spotted him and strode over, cupping his fist. "City Lord Ding has made the arrangements. The five thousand Soldiers are ready to depart at any moment, and the Mo Family disciples and Artisans are also prepared."
"Good." Zhu Ge nodded. "After breakfast, we set out."
"Where to?" Zhao Tieshan asked.
"To the east, Mengzi City!" Zhu Ge smiled.
Just then, he sensed the auras of Yu the Scholar and the others and turned around.
"Zhu Ge!" Yu the Scholar nodded at Zhu Ge.
Zhu Ge said, "Perfect. Scholar, you all can join our contingent for now. We’re making a trip to Mengzi City."
"That city is also under siege by Demon Beasts. We need to rescue them."
"Also, you can ask Sui Niang if she’s willing to join us. If she agrees, then everyone from our Jianshan Village will finally be together."