Chapter 130: Preparation

“There’s always a bad feeling about becoming someone’s stud horse…”

Wu Ming rode out for some fresh air, and his heart was indeed quite troubled.

He clearly understood that once Wu Zhi stepped into the limelight, her marriage could no longer be with someone of equal standing, otherwise the husband’s family would be too powerful, and everything would end up benefiting others.

The Wu family now was just right.

A small county tycoon, not too high in status, yet not a commoner either. Plus, they could court Wu Qing, who had the potential to become a true cultivator. It was truly a two birds with one stone situation.

Such a woman obviously wouldn’t value her marriage much, and instead would certainly treat it as a bargaining chip!

“Dead meat, dead meat… I was just mocking the poor fellow who would become her lucky groom, never expecting it to fall on me…”

Wu Ming muttered to himself.

“What did you say, Brother Wu?”

Suddenly, a rider approached, and Chen Shuncheng asked.

“Nothing much…”

Wu Ming smiled. During this journey, the two groups had gotten slightly acquainted. This Chen Shuncheng might appear thick-browed and big-eyed, but he was actually quite shrewd and well-versed in military strategy. However, he was still young at heart and had inadvertently revealed a bit of information to the cunning Wu Ming.

“A scion of a military family, a descendant of strategists, came to these two commanderies seeking an official career after seeing an opportunity, but the outcome was unexpected, leaving him hesitating until he was recruited by Wu Zhi.

Now newly enlisted, what needs to be done next is to offer a token of loyalty…”

He clearly understood that the world of Zhou was currently in chaos, with fewer scholars traveling to study, but other schools of thought were flourishing, presenting a scene of a hundred schools contending. The mainstream ideology remained that one should study martial and literary skills and sell them to the royal family.

“Speaking of which… these uncle and nephew were also affected by my schemes. Otherwise, if the war continued, would the offspring of military families lack opportunities to display their skills?”

Wu Ming sweated inwardly, knowing that his previous plans had indeed affected many people’s destinies.

…

Nanfeng Commandery lay to the south of Chufeng Commandery, its scenery picturesque and beautiful.

Upon entering the commandery, Chen Jingzong did not enter the city but instead released a signal, then waited in a remote wilderness.

Clippity-clop!

Half an hour later, more than twenty riders galloped towards them. They bore no insignia, but their sharp and capable aura could not be concealed.

“Humble servant Qiu Yi, specially come to follow Master Chen’s instructions!”

The leading rider waved his hand, and the twenty riders immediately halted, their movements perfectly synchronized, exuding strict discipline.

After verifying identities, the leading figure immediately bowed and spoke.

“Hmph… Have you brought the intelligence I requested?”

At this point, Chen Jingzong no longer had his previous weary demeanor; his face was filled with authority, like a general issuing orders.

“It’s all here!”

Qiu Yi took out a wax-sealed yellow bamboo tube from his back and presented it with both hands.

Chen Jingzong tore off the wax seal and saw that inside the bamboo tube was a thick stack of documents. On them were densely packed names, along with activity schedules, ability assessments, and so on, all extremely detailed.

“Good!”

Chen Jingzong nodded inwardly, knowing that this young woman Wu Zhi had a considerable force under her command in Nanfeng Commandery.

This was only normal—if it weren’t so, why would he have decided to defect to her side?

He then turned to the Wu siblings: “This Dark Heaven Pavilion and Black Tiger Society… which one do you plan to choose?”

“Whatever is fine!”

Wu Qing looked quite relaxed. However, Wu Ming, after receiving the intelligence, noticed that although these two factions were quite powerful, as the son of a martial family, having a level two expert as a guardian was already the limit, so he secretly relaxed a bit: “I thought… Wu Zhi would rely on my sister, a true cultivator, to change her fate. It seems indeed to be an ordinary mission without much danger…”

“If so… then how about choosing the Black Tiger Society? Half of these twenty riders can go with you!”

Chen Jingzong frowned slightly, then smiled.

“No need! Just one guide will suffice!”

Wu Qing casually pointed: “What are you waiting for? Hurry up and follow!”

“Sigh…”

With such a sister, Wu Ming could only silently sigh inwardly and, along with another rider, rode to catch up.

Watching their backs, Chen Shuncheng looked somewhat surprised: “Uncle, why not?”

“They are the lady’s good friends. If we really joined forces to attack, how would we divide the credit? Moreover, if they tried to command us directly, how would we handle it?”

Chen Jingzong said calmly: “This mission is our first task for our new master. We must not only complete it, but do it well. Most importantly, we cannot let others underestimate us!”

He then looked at the remaining riders, including Qiu Yi: “I won’t say much. This time, as long as the mission is accomplished, the master will naturally reward us. But if anyone slacks off or disobeys orders!”

Bang!

Beside him, Chen Shuncheng immediately stomped his foot, creating a deep pit in the ground.

Dirt splattered, and the faint tremor caused all the remaining riders to change expressions.

“Please rest assured, Mr. Chen. We will definitely not fail. Otherwise, I will personally kill him first!” Qiu Yi’s face twitched, stepping forward to guarantee.

“Good! Then each of you should report your names and abilities, then divide into three teams of five each. The first team will be led by…”

In an instant, Chen Jingzong combined kindness with authority, slightly subduing these people before immediately assigning tasks with ease, making Chen Shuncheng beside him quite excited.

“This attack must be swift and unexpected, catching them off guard. Now, mount up!”

Chen Jingzong commanded.

“Yes, sir!”

More than ten cavalry immediately mounted their horses and galloped away.

“Uncle…”

Chen Shuncheng lagged behind, hesitating: “After this mission, we might truly have no choice but to rely on that Wu girl… She’s just an ordinary woman…”

“Uncle naturally knows she’s just a woman…”

Chen Jingzong smiled: “You’ve always been upset, wondering why I rejected so many offers to join the ranks of this Wu girl, right?”

“This girl, although ambitious, is still a woman…”

Chen Shuncheng, seeing no one around, finally voiced his inner thoughts: “I’m a fine young man…”

“Silence!”

Chen Jingzong’s face turned serious. Seeing his nephew’s attitude, he sighed inwardly and could only explain: “Before I came here, I specially consulted a good friend skilled in physiognomy. According to him, the dual phoenix formation of Chufeng and Nanfeng Commanderies has accumulated phoenix energy to the point of taking flight, and a noble lady must descend…”

“But… even so…”

Chen Shuncheng naturally knew that Wu Zhi was likely the noble lady foretold. Suddenly, a thought struck him: “Could it be that Uncle wants to use her as a stepping stone to…”

“Exactly!”

Chen Jingzong looked very satisfied: “A phoenix-born girl, how could an ordinary person possibly benefit from her? Only a dragon can! At that time, we would be trusted generals from her maternal side, with the mistress supporting us from behind the scenes, establishing a solid foundation…”

“Even if our plans fail, she’s still the daughter of the Wu family. If anything happens in Nanfeng Commandery, won’t they still need us?”

After hearing this, Chen Shuncheng wore an expression of speechless disbelief.

Previously, he had thought he had already grasped the essence of the military school, that the ends justify the means, but now it seemed he still lacked a bit of shamelessness compared to his uncle.

…

“The Black Tiger Society, headquartered in the commandery city, has over a thousand members, with more than a hundred core disciples. They control various docks, post stations, and so on, paying tribute of tens of thousands of gold and silver to the second young master of the Wu family every year…”

The current leader of the Black Tiger Society is Wei Zhuo, nicknamed “Pillar-Toppling Hand.” He is a martial artist at the ninth level of the physical realm, having reached the pinnacle of transformation! Under his command are the Four Guardians, each an innate-level martial artist, along with a strategist named Feng Weixing. Highly trusted for his cunning and meticulous planning, Feng Weixing serves as his most relied-upon advisor…

Upon entering the commandery city, the rider and the Wu siblings arrived at a tavern, opening a private room.

Across the street from the tavern was a large mansion, guarded by two strong men at the front, appearing quite imposing.

He first explained the basic situation, then asked: “What are your plans? We’ve also set up a few people here…”

“Too much action leads to more mistakes, making it easier to leave clues and vulnerabilities!”

Wu Ming stood up, pulling out a thin yellow leather mask from his bosom and covering his face with it.

In an instant, he transformed from a young boy into a yellow-faced youth.

“A human skin mask?”

The rider’s face showed much reverence. Such things were only legends in the martial world, and he never expected to see one in reality.

“Sister, please wait here for a moment. I’ll go loosen up and be right back!”

Wu Ming said casually, pushing off the windowsill and leaping out like a nimble cat, making not a sound.

In the previous supernatural world, he had killed many reincarnators and gained a lot of miscellaneous items, which he had carelessly stored in the Tiangong Ring.

This human skin mask was obtained from Jiuyu Xueling. Because of its exquisite craftsmanship, it was breathable when applied to the skin and left a deep impression, so he kept it. Now it came in handy.

He deliberately turned to the back alley, then circled to the main street. Now Wu Ming looked completely unremarkable.

Yet, in his heart, there was still a bit of sadness.

Not for himself, but for the uncle and nephew from earlier.

With his shrewdness, he could easily detect their hidden intentions.

However, the uncle and nephew were both at level two, yet still had to humble themselves to serve power, acting as blades, while outside the system, there were many others who wished to serve as blades but could not.

“The land is so enchanting, it makes countless heroes bow in admiration…”

Wu Ming sighed lightly, a faint smile appearing on his lips: “But… I’m just an ordinary person too!”

Arriving at the main gate of the Black Tiger Society headquarters, he strode in without hesitation.

“Halt! What do you want?”

A man immediately stepped forward, his face wary.

Another man instinctively reached for the short club at his waist.

After all, it was a city within a commandery, and ordinary people didn’t dare to openly carry swords on the streets, let alone the Black Tiger Society, which was just a local minor organization, not a privileged class of aristocratic scholars.

However, the moment the man who had stepped forward touched Wu Ming, his entire body froze, standing there motionless.

“What’s wrong?”

The man with the club was startled, then suddenly felt an extremely subtle chill pierce through his waist, instantly paralyzing him.