knife

Chapter 513 He Zudao's Secret
The river flows mightily, rushing for thousands of miles.

It was the flood season, and the reddish-brown river water, carrying countless debris, came raging from upstream, crashing heavily onto the rocks on the shore and splashing up countless waves.

He Zudao sat cross-legged on a huge reef. There seemed to be an invisible barrier around him, blocking the splashing waves and preventing any river water from falling on him.

He has been sitting here cross-legged for a long time.

He came here after he learned that Li Dachui was actually the posthumous son of Li Zemin, the former deposed crown prince of Qin.

The betrayal of Li Zemin by the He family father and son happened a very, very long time ago, so long that He Zudao had almost completely forgotten about it.

Because the Qin Dynasty court also intentionally erased this matter.

Moreover, subconsciously, He Zudao was also willing to erase this matter from his memory.

After all, betrayal is not something to be proud of.

I thought that with the passage of time, this matter would be buried in the dust of history forever, and as the limited number of people who knew about it died one after another, no one would ever know the disgraceful role He Zudao played in that matter.

But then, a bolt from the blue struck.
Li Dachui, the Protector-General of the Beiting Protectorate, is actually Li Zemin's son.

Whether it's true or false,

As long as Li Dachui still claims to be Li Zemin's son.
Therefore, he has an obligation to exonerate his father.

Therefore, He Zudao was bound to be overthrown; there was no doubt about that.

Shake your head and sigh.

Truly, what goes around comes around; no one escapes the wrath of Heaven!
The old man kicked the bucket and passed away, allowing me to finally get things done. But after going around in circles and returning, I found myself entangled with events from decades ago.

He has to pay for this terrible debt himself.

Li Dachui, the Protector-General of the Northern Protectorate, is one of the most powerful and influential figures in the world today, and of course, his mortal enemy.

Compared to him, my strength is rather weak!

If we were to rank the most powerful figures in the world today, Empress Dowager Jiang Qian of Chu would naturally be in the top tier, far ahead of everyone else.

The second tier should consist of Li Dachui and Linghu Ye. One is a powerful figure outside the pass, wielding the might of the annihilation of the Northern Yuan, and eyeing the interior with covetous intent. The other controls the Central Plains, has the support of powerful clans, has wiped out local separatist forces, and occupies the most fertile land in the land, looking down upon all the heroes under heaven.

The third tier should be considered to be oneself. It is based in Jiangnan and has a large population and abundant resources. It can also gain the support of the people, but it lacks the right timing and location, and of course, it also lacks the legitimacy of a righteous cause.

The first three all have the ambition and the strength to unify the world. As for myself, I am just a small variable in this grand game. If I simply side with one of them, it will greatly increase the strength of that one. This is one of the reasons why I can exist. Neither Linghu Ye nor Jiang Qian dare to push me too hard, because if they push me too far, I will completely side with the other side, which is not what they want.

But is that all?
Are you willing?
Can a lowly pawn rise to become the master of the house?

The game is still ongoing. Although I don't have the initiative, as long as I stay on the board, I have a chance to make a surprise attack.

How to navigate the complex relationship between Linghu Ye and Jiang Qian will depend on your own abilities. And how will these two sides treat you?
With the sound of hooves, He Zudao turned around and saw Feng Kuan, Chen Jianren, Yang Lixin and several others riding towards him. Upon seeing He Zudao, the three of them dismounted, skimmed over the exposed rocks on the river, and landed beside him.

“You all already know that Li Dachui is Li Jimin’s son, right?” He Zudao asked.

Feng Kuan and Chen Jianren both nodded, their expressions grave. Only Yang Lixin looked utterly bewildered: "General, what business is it of ours whose son he is? There's still Linghu Ye between us and him. If he wants to attack us, he'll have to defeat Linghu Ye first!"

He Zudao smiled and said, "Li Dachui is my enemy."

Yang Lixin blinked and looked at He Zu, saying, "He's outside the pass, while the General has always been in Jiangnan. How did this feud come about?"

Yang Lixin used to be a gangster, but he was unaware of this case from back then.

“Li Dachui’s parents died at the hands of my son and me!” He Zudao said bluntly.

Yang Lixin laughed heartily: "What's the big deal? We used to be in the martial world, killing each other all the time. We'll meet force with force, and we'll deal with whatever comes our way. If he's so capable, let him come and fight us. He can't even get close to us, so he's useless. General, I think we can support Linghu Ye and let him take care of him first!"

These words from the chivalrous hero made the others on the reef laugh.

“I trust you all!” He Zudao said, looking at the three of them.

Yang Lixin looked around and saw that, apart from the few people present, there seemed to be only one other important figure from the eight towns of Jiangnan who had not yet arrived.

That was Ke Wuji.

He Zudao's confidence in these few was, in essence, a distrust of Ke Wuji.

“Ke Wuji is an elder of the Demonic Sect’s Ruijin Banner!” He Zudao said slowly. “And Li Dachui’s birth mother, He Qingqiu, also came from the Demonic Sect’s Ruijin Banner. Moreover, this time Ke Wuji took over Xing County and easily controlled Zhang Quanyi’s troops left in Xing County. Then Zhang Quanyi appeared outside the pass and became one of the important generals of the Beiting Protectorate in destroying the Northern Yuan. If you say there is no collusion between them, I really don’t believe it.”

Yang Lixin hissed and gasped, “General, Ke Lao’er and his men are quite powerful! The Cao Gang has joined them, and the Demonic Sect’s Hou Tu Banner joined them recently! A while ago, Lu Xiong came to my place and boasted to me that they can easily raise 20,000 elite troops, and if they are fully mobilized, they can organize 50,000 people within a few days.”

Feng Kuan's expression was also grave: "General, those people from the Demonic Sect are all a bit off their minds. At a single command, they charge forward regardless of life or death, even if there are mountains of knives and seas of fire ahead. They act as if they don't see them. When those in front die, those behind just step over the corpses of those in front to charge forward. They are extremely difficult to deal with. Unless you have absolute certainty and an overwhelming numerical advantage, you shouldn't act rashly!"

Chen Jianren also smiled wryly and said, "General, in the past two years, because we have joined forces with Ke Wuji and his group, they have been spreading their teachings extensively in the eight towns of Jiangnan. It's not so bad in the towns, but in the countryside, their followers are all over the place. If they really start to take action, the trouble will not only be military, but will also shake our foundation!"

“I know!” He Zudao said calmly, “That’s why I invited Ke Wuji here today as well!”

"If he really had connections with Li Dachui, would he still dare to come?" Yang Lixin exclaimed. "If it were me, I would never walk into a trap!"

"If he doesn't come, it means he has a guilty conscience. Even if it causes chaos for a while, I will take over Xingxian and Ningxian first!" He Zudao waved his hand, walked to the edge of the reef, raised his hands, and let out a sharp whistle. Several streams of water suddenly leaped up from the river and flew into the sky for dozens of feet. The water swirled and turned in the air, transforming into a lifelike water dragon that shook its head and swayed its tail in the air.

Chen Jianren, Feng Kuan, and Yang Lixin did not sense the slightest fluctuation of true energy. The next moment, their gazes fell on He Zudao, and they involuntarily gasped.

When did the Great General advance to the Innate Realm?

Did they really keep it a secret from them?

(End of this chapter)