Chapter 248: Lingering Doubts

Shi Jue Pass.

The pass still stood tall and majestic, yet upon his return, Wu Ming felt a distinct sense of things having changed.

The once familiar faces—some full of fighting spirit, others carefree and relaxed—were gone, replaced by expressions filled with fear for the future.

“At least there aren’t many wounded this time. No matter how scarce supplies were before, now that a million people have dwindled to just several thousand, things should be a bit easier, right?”

Wu Ming arrived at the pass and briefly showed his identification. Han Hulin immediately came out to greet him. “Immortal Master, please save me!”

“His Majesty has been elected the Grand Alliance Leader of all Rebel Kings, full of vigor and ambition. Why would he need this humble Daoist then?”

Wu Ming smiled faintly.

“Master, please stop teasing me…”

Han Hulin wore a bitter expression. “I feel like sitting on pins and needles! But since you’ve arrived, surely you must have some guidance for me!”

He immediately stepped aside, unwilling to stand side by side with Wu Ming, and instead respectfully invited him into the pass.

The previous events had frightened him quite a bit, and he had grown increasingly superstitious about Wu Ming. At this point, if Wu Ming had even asked to be appointed National Preceptor, Han would not have hesitated for a moment.

“Master… my teacher… she… she has ascended to immortality already…”

Behind Han Hulin came Bai Yulian, Li Zizai, Ruan Zhiyu, and two other rebel kings. Bai Yulian wore plain gauze robes and, upon seeing Wu Ming, her eyes immediately reddened as tears streamed down her face.

“I see… I understand.”

Wu Ming, already aware of the underlying intrigues, inwardly muttered to himself and nodded slightly.

They immediately proceeded to the mansion. No banquet was arranged. Wu Ming sat down directly and looked at Han Hulin sitting at the main seat: “Your Majesty, how many soldiers and provisions do you currently have?”

He had secretly observed that although Han had escaped a deadly predicament, his fortune had still been greatly diminished.

However, this was not entirely a bad thing. At least now, it carried a sense of vitality, aligning more with the will of Heaven, and his luck was gradually increasing.

“To be honest…”

Han Hulin’s face was filled with bitterness. “Although I have tried my best to gather resources, I only have around fifty-three thousand troops, among which three thousand are wounded and unfit for major operations. Additionally, food supplies are extremely scarce, and we lack medicine and military physicians, especially those skilled in treating burns.”

Now Wu Ming finally understood why there were so few wounded soldiers—it seemed Han had simply chosen not to accept them!

After all, this was not the past. Medical conditions were significantly worse, and severely wounded soldiers had little chance of survival. Even minor injuries could become life-threatening due to infections.

Although the supplies of a million troops were substantial, most had been burned during the previous fire attack, leaving the situation rather dire.

“That’s not all… these fifty thousand troops do not belong to a unified command. They are barely held together by the moral authority of my position as Grand Alliance Leader, and many do not fully obey my orders…”

Han Hulin continued, his voice filled with bitterness.

To be honest, after this, he really wanted to gather his forces and return to his old stronghold to enjoy power and comfort for as long as he could.

Unfortunately, these scattered troops were only willing to follow his orders and recognize him as their leader because he had sworn to avenge the rebel kings like Xu Zongwu.

If he proposed returning to his stronghold, it was likely that mutiny would break out the very night after he announced his decision.

“In that case, does Your Majesty still have the desire to contend for supremacy?”

Wu Ming asked.

Han Hulin immediately waved his hands frantically. “I’m just a rough man. Previously, when Xu Brother wanted to take the lead, I had no objections at all. Now, I honestly don’t know what to do. I just hope to help my brothers avenge their great injustice, and after that, I’d be content to return home and live a quiet life farming the land!”

Wu Ming only believed half of this, but this attitude was not bad. At least it showed that the man understood when to advance and when to retreat, and still possessed some sense of reason.

“Master Daoist, do you have any advice for me?”

Han Hulin was no fool. Upon hearing Wu Ming’s question, he immediately sensed that Wu must have some ideas and spoke accordingly.

“The Shang Dynasty’s army will arrive soon. Your Majesty must make a decision quickly!”

Wu Ming did not hastily express his own stance, avoiding unnecessary entanglements. He simply said, “This humble Daoist recently met a Qingyun Daoist from King Ji Yi’s camp. Today, I will introduce him to Your Majesty. As for other matters, you may discuss them yourselves.”

If he had actively acted as a mediator, or even proposed terms, the alliance might have been formed more smoothly. However, Wu Ming now had no interest in such minor gains and thus found it too much trouble.

“King Ji Yi?!”

Indeed, at the mere mention of this name, Han Hulin’s expression turned peculiar.

It was obvious he had heard of this virtuous king’s reputation before, and might even have considered joining him.

“Also, this friend Li Zizai here once met this humble Daoist briefly. He is quite capable when it comes to leading troops!”

Wu Ming, however, did not dwell on this and casually gave Li Zizai a boost before following Bai Yulian to the side room to rest.

“Master Uncle!”

After arriving at the room, Bai Yulian did not leave but instead closed the door, speaking in a soft and timid manner. “Now that my master is gone, I, your niece, have only you left as family!”

“Yes, this humble Daoist will naturally take good care of you.”

Wu Ming had not paid much attention before, but now that he thought of it, he still had not seen Luo Song. Obviously, the leader of the Xinghe Sword Sect had either fled or died, with the latter being more likely.

Bai Yulian was clearly rushing to attach herself to him for protection.

Unfortunately, Wu Ming possessed the Heavenly Eye and could not help but see through her relationship with Han Hulin. Upon hearing her words, he merely smiled inwardly while outwardly displaying a look of reluctant affection. He then waved his hand: “But I am tired from my journey. Please leave first and come back later to attend to me.”

“Yes!”

Though reluctant, Bai Yulian could only bow unhappily and leave the room with a lingering, sorrowful glance at Wu Ming.

“Ah! Another boring little thing trying to tempt my Daoist heart…”

Wu Ming sighed softly.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t mind playing along with Bai Yulian for a while.

However, this time the matter was grave, and he could not afford to be careless.

“The Blood-Oath Alliance Leader? This person is almost certainly a permission holder, and likely one with high authority!”

Although the hidden hand behind all this was extremely powerful, Wu Ming felt somewhat cheerful, since the enemy was now clear. What remained was merely to confront them with his own strengths.

“Still, I have this feeling that things won’t be this simple…”

His Heavenly Insight was sharp, especially for someone like Wu Ming, who had nearly grasped the path of Earth Immortality. He felt a dark cloud hovering over his mind, refusing to dissipate.

“This is a warning!”

Wu Ming stroked his chin. “It seems like a great calamity is approaching, yet it doesn’t quite feel like one. Could it be that my Daoist methods are being obscured? How can I dispel this…?”

Just then, a knock came at the door: “Senior, this junior Li Zizai, accompanied by Ruan Zhiyu, respectfully requests an audience!”

“Senior? What an interesting choice of words! A double entendre, and still trying to test me, huh?”

Wu Ming smiled. “Come in!”

“Understood!”

Li Zizai and Ruan Zhiyu entered hand in hand and immediately bowed deeply to Wu Ming: “We are deeply grateful to the Immortal Master for your kind introduction!”

In ancient times, Wu Ming’s single sentence of recommendation just now was indeed a great favor, enough to change a person’s entire fate.

Of course, neither Wu Ming nor Li Zizai truly cared about such gratitude.

After all, neither belonged to this world, and both knew the rebel faction had no future. Who would care about positions and titles here?

This so-called expression of gratitude was merely a pretext. The real purpose was to see whether Wu Ming was a Reincarnator.

“From my observation, you are a descendant of the Military Strategists School, having developed your own unique path!”

Wu Ming said with a shake of his head.

“Your Honored Master’s insight is spot on. My family has a long tradition in military arts. My ancestors once served in the army, but unfortunately our family declined, leaving only a few military treatises, from which I managed to learn a little.”

Li Zizai humbly replied. Meanwhile, Ruan Zhiyu, seemingly bowing her head, was constantly observing Wu Ming.

Seeing the two of them wanting to ask yet hesitating, filled with caution, Wu Ming found it quite amusing.

After all, everything Wu Ming did seemed quite like that of a Reincarnator. Unfortunately, his native identity, backed by Bai Yulian and the entire Honglian Sect, had caused them to hesitate.

If they accidentally revealed secrets to a native, the punishment from the Celestial Temple would be no joke. Thus, they could only cautiously probe, which was naturally quite frustrating.

Of course, Wu Ming had no intention of revealing his true identity. After chatting a bit more, he showed signs of impatience and picked up his teacup.

Even if Li Zizai were the most foolish person, he still understood the meaning behind this gesture of offering tea to signal the end of a visit. He immediately took his leave.

“Zhiyu, what do you think?”

As soon as they were out of sight, Li Zizai whispered urgently.

“It’s hard to say for sure. Moreover, the Daoist Master Zhaixingzi is definitely a native of this world!”

Ruan Zhiyu shook her head.

“Could it really not be a Reincarnator!?” Li Zizai looked disappointed. “This mission is going to be tough. We need to protect the rebel kings and defeat the Shang Dynasty… difficult! Difficult!! Difficult!!! Perhaps we can only hope for Ji Yi? After all, I noticed that Han Hulin and the two other kings seem quite interested in him!”

Although historically Ji Yi was the one who overthrew the tyrant King Zhou, even Li Zizai was no longer so confident about that now.

“Luckily… those three seem to have intentions of joining Ji Yi. That way, we won’t have to fear a confrontation with the founder of the Zhou Dynasty. Otherwise, caught between two enemies, we would surely face certain death!”

Ruan Zhiyu also patted her chest in relief, visibly easing her tension.

…

“So their mission is actually this… to ensure the survival of the rebel kings and defeat the Shang Dynasty? What a truly terrible mission…”

Inside the quiet room, Wu Ming, who had been sitting cross-legged in meditation, suddenly opened his eyes. After eavesdropping on a few more words, his expression suddenly changed, and a lightning bolt of realization flashed through his mind: “I know where this unease is coming from!”

His limbs trembled slightly with excitement. He could no longer sit still and began pacing the room: “Because it defies logic!”

“Ever since I took over this body through soul transference, I have been careful and cautious, obeying Heaven’s will, never doing anything out of line! Even my Daoist techniques have strictly followed the Maoshan Sect tradition!”

“Yet at the Golden Pond Assembly, I was still targeted! If it weren’t for a lucky coincidence and the arrival of the Qingyun Daoist, the assassination attempt would have intensified tenfold!”

Although the previous ambush had been clumsy, what if everything had gone according to plan?

In front, three deadly stars leading a hundred elite warriors would launch a frontal assault! Behind, Gushenzi would use insects to launch a surprise attack! Even the Legalists might assist, perhaps even masters from the Indian sects!

With such a gathering of powerful enemies, Wu Ming would surely have been at a disadvantage. Even the Qingyun Daoist could only delay the inevitable, fighting them off one by one!