Zongwu: Aspiring to be the mastermind behind the scenes

Chapter 226 Nuwa's Ten Heavenly Crystals, Qin Army Approaching
“I contacted the Qin army earlier and informed them of the relevant intelligence. Once the Qin army arrives, I can use this connection to join them. At that time, finding an opportunity will be a piece of cake.”

Marco said, "If in the end, that old man Lü doesn't hand over the treasure to that child as I planned, we can find another opportunity while we're mixed in with the Qin army."

However, this was my initial plan. Now that Lord Gin has arrived, with your strength, you can naturally take him down directly.

After this setback, Marco realized that his plan was not working, so he obediently admitted defeat.

Now, however, he is not worried about Mu Daoren taking his peaches; on the contrary, he seems to want to let Mu Daoren handle them.

"Although I am here, I cannot make a move for the time being."

The wooden Taoist said, "The organization's goal has never been a treasure related to Loulan, but Loulan itself!"
The vast desert is not an easy place to find Loulan, even with treasures in hand.

Your plan is quite good. Infiltrate the Qin army and let them obtain that treasure. With their superior numbers, they might be able to find Loulan more quickly.

That will be the time for me to make my move.

Marco suddenly understood.

He also knew that the matter he was dealing with was not worth the personal intervention of a grandmaster.

It turns out it wasn't just a mere treasure, but the legendary ancient kingdom of Loulan!

"It is my honor to be able to share your burdens, sir!"

At this moment, the wooden Taoist felt the Heavenly Secret Tablet tremble, so he told Marco to step back and channeled his true energy into the Heavenly Secret Tablet.

A moment later, a golden gate of light appeared before them.

The wooden Taoist quickly picked up the golden crystal and the mechanical device, and stepped into the portal.

The waves crashed.

The sea breeze blows.

On the other side of the portal lies the organization's stronghold, the nameless island.

"Did you bring the crystal?"

"right here!"

Jin Jiu took the crystal, examined it closely, and after a moment, sighed.

"What is this crystal?" Master Mu couldn't help but wonder.

“In ancient times, the goddess Nuwa left behind ten celestial crystals, each containing the Dao of Heaven and Earth, truly a treasure. However, this is just a replica.”

Jinjiu returned the golden crystal to Mu Daoren.

"A treasure passed down by the goddess Nuwa?"

The Wood Taoist was also shocked, but upon hearing that it was just a replica, he couldn't help but feel regretful.

The treasures left behind by such beings must be extremely precious.

"The Nuwa Ten Heaven Crystal disappeared after King Wu of Zhou and has not appeared in the world for hundreds of years. It is really strange that the Mo family's mechanic has a replica of this item."

However, given his abilities, this replica was probably not made by him, but in any case, it represents a clue.

Right now, none of us can appear in that area to avoid being detected by the Four Emperors' spies. Gin, this matter is yours. You must bring that guy back alive…

I'll give you another Yellow Millet Pill. If you can't bring it back alive, you can kill it, then use the Yellow Millet Pill to revive it, and deceive everyone!

"I understand."

Master Mu nodded, took the Yellow Millet Pill, and turned to walk into the gate of light.

The gin also disappeared.

In the portable space.

"I never expected such a pleasant surprise!"

Zhou Ming looked at the golden crystal, his eyes brimming with undisguised joy.

The Ten Heavenly Crystals of Nuwa are not simply treasures left behind by Nuwa; each of the ten crystals contains a natural power.

At the same time, there is also Nuwa's understanding, realm, and will regarding various natural forces.

By holding the Celestial Crystal and studying its mysteries, one can comprehend the natural power corresponding to each Celestial Crystal.

Ten of them together constitute an earth-shattering martial art.

The Heavenly Mirror!

The mystery and power of this martial art lies not only in the ability to control the corresponding natural forces after cultivation, but also in the fact that the natural forces corresponding to each celestial crystal are theoretically inexhaustible.

Practitioners can all practice together, or they can concentrate on one point and reach the pinnacle.

Of course, due to the differences in natural forces, the power at different levels is also different.

If cultivators are at the same level and have the same understanding of the Hun Tian Bao Jian, then the person who cultivates to the first level will inevitably be unable to defeat the person who cultivates to the tenth level.

This martial art was originally acquired by King Wu of Zhou, Ji Fa, who used it to cultivate great strength and establish a dynasty.

But since then, this martial art has not appeared in the world for countless years.

It is likely that even if there was some inheritance, it was only within the Zhou royal family.

However, the Zhou royal family had long since declined and was repeatedly attacked by other powerful countries, and many of its treasures were looted by other countries.

Perhaps that's why these ten Heavenly Crystals ended up being lost.

The most likely outcome of this exile is that it fell into the hands of the Qin state!

"That old man Lu said that he and other heroes from the six kingdoms once robbed the Qin Kingdom of its treasures. Now it seems that it might be this Heavenly Crystal?"
The golden celestial crystal in his hand, though a fake, was exquisitely crafted and contained natural forces of metal and light attributes. With Grandmaster-level strength, it was clearly impossible for Old Man Lü to create such a counterfeit.

So, perhaps he obtained this replica from the powerful figures of the other six nations during the operation back then!

The six states of Qi, Chu, Yan, Han, Zhao, and Wei were all states with histories spanning hundreds of years, but they were all destroyed by the Qin state. Countless treasures and all their heritages probably fell into the hands of the Qin state.

However, the remnants of the six kingdoms still possess some treasures, and it is only natural that they would pass them down.

"We'll probably have to wait until we catch old man Lü to find out what really happened."

Zhou Ming said, "However, this also illustrates a problem. Xiao Ai, our intelligence work is still somewhat inadequate."

"?" Ai asked, puzzled.

Zhou Ming said, "Although with your calculation ability and my imprinting ability, we are able to grasp most of what is happening in the world right now, we have no clue about what happened in the past few years, decades, or even centuries."

This is a shortcoming in our intelligence work. It seems the Root organization still needs to develop!

The intelligence agency is named 'Root'.

This is a new department that Zhou Ming established after the New Year. The first batch of members are those who, after the torment of the New Year, still harbor resentment and want to kill Gui Hai Yi Dao to avenge their loved ones.

They would do anything for revenge.

Zhou Ming established this department with the intention of using them to do some shady things that he wouldn't normally do in public.

Therefore, we specifically paid tribute to a certain film critic and named this department 'Root'.

However, it now seems that the name can also be interpreted in other ways.

Just like the roots of a tree, it extends downwards continuously, drawing nourishment from the earth.

The primary goal of intelligence agencies is not to investigate current events, but to trace the course of history, constantly looking back to uncover various long-forgotten events from the past.

Thinking about it this way, the name is really quite fitting.

"Xiao Ai, upgrade the importance level of the Root organization's expansion, focusing primarily on the Central Plains and the Qin Kingdom, as well as the Western Regions." "Yes, sir!"

Meanwhile, Mu Daoren returned to the border town.

"I thought this was a real treasure, but it turns out it's just a replica of a genuine treasure..."

The wooden Taoist held the golden crystal in his hand and thought to himself.

"If that's the case, then let's put it to a greater use."

Then he called everyone else over.

“Marco, make a copy of this book on mechanical arts. Keep the copy, and give the original and this treasure to the Qin army in exchange for their trust.”

Marco said, "This is also a treasure; why not hand it over to the organization?"

"The organization doesn't lack such a treasure, but the plan regarding Loulan must proceed smoothly. We must not sacrifice the greater good for the sake of a small thing."

"Sir...you are right!"

Marco naturally had his own thoughts. His scheme failed, and he was outmaneuvered by that old man Lu, but at least he brought back this treasure and the mechanical arts.

Afterwards, he managed to achieve a small merit.

But since Gin objected, he had no choice but to agree.

"Shi He, Zhong Wugu, in a few days, you and Marco will join the Qin army. However, your identities are not the same. Shi He, you are a loyal warrior trained by Marco's caravan."

Zhong Wugu, your identity is a warrior from the Western Regions. You met Marco during a business transaction and wanted to use this opportunity to join the Qin Kingdom. Once you establish connections with the Qin army, you will gradually abandon Marco as a path to advancement.

You two must carefully design these two identities, cooperate effectively, and absolutely not reveal any flaws!

"Yes! Master!"

"Ah."

Master Mu then said, "The target of this organization is Loulan. I will not take action until the Qin army finds Loulan. Everything depends on you."

"Also, there's another task that you need to complete, and that's about that old man Lü..."

A few days later.

The imperial army was very close to the small town, but it was stationed dozens of miles outside the town and had not yet entered the town.

The general leading this large army was a member of the Meng family.

However, he is not the main character.

The commander of the entire operation was Wei Zhuang, the leader of the notorious assassin organization Quicksand!
Wei Zhuang was a disciple of Guiguzi, a strategist of the School of Diplomacy. He once tried to emulate his predecessors in manipulating the world's situation, but unfortunately, the Qin army was too powerful and swept away the other six states, leaving him with no room to use his strategies.

Even if they had no choice but to become assassins, at least they could still use their fighting skills.

He also brought his two top fighters, Chi Lian and Bai Feng, with him.

The Qin state also sent Gongshu Chou, the current head of the Gongshu family.

When it comes to mechanisms, the Mohists and the Gongshu School were arguably the strongest in the world. Compared to the Mohists, who advocated peace and non-aggression, the Gongshu School placed more emphasis on the destructive power of their mechanisms.

In addition, the Yin-Yang School also sent two of its five elders, the Great Master of Fate and the Lesser Master of Fate.

This also shows that the Qin state did not actually attach great importance to this matter.

Otherwise, they would have sent far more than just this many people.

Inside the army camp, a sand table exactly like the one in the border town was placed among the group.

Gongshu Chou was bald with a goat's beard, had an old face, a normal right hand, but a bronze mechanical hand in his left.

Pointing to the city, he introduced, "Ladies and gentlemen, look, that old man Lü lives in this house. It has been heavily guarded all around. In the past few days, only one person has entered and exited this house, a merchant named Marco..."

The Qin state had already sent people to investigate after receiving the intelligence.

However, even with clues, finding the Loulan Kingdom in the vast desert is not an easy task.

Moreover, since Loulan was a country, it couldn't have been conquered by just a few experts.

That's why the Qin state mobilized these three thousand elite troops.

While mobilizing troops, they continuously sent people to infiltrate this border town and keep an eye on Old Man Lü.

Therefore, although Old Man Lü already knew that he was being targeted by the Qin state, he never made any move to escape.

It was because he knew he was being closely watched and running away was pointless.

He was old, and though he remained in his heavily guarded mansion, he still possessed some capacity for resistance.

But if he were to run out of the mansion, even if it were just a young man at the peak of the Innate Realm, he might be able to capture him.

That's why he's been staying in the courtyard, constantly improving the mechanisms and formations within it.

Marco's being outmaneuvered was merely a spur-of-the-moment act, not something he had planned beforehand.

"Marco...that name sounds familiar, like I've seen it somewhere before?"

"That's what Chi Lian said."

"Huh?" Gongshu Chou was taken aback.

Just then, a soldier came to report: "Reporting to you gentlemen, a merchant has come with two companions outside. He calls himself 'Marco' and says that he has delivered intelligence for the Empire."

Upon hearing this, Chi Lian suddenly nodded and said, "I was wondering why that name sounded familiar. It turns out I've seen it in intelligence reports before. This Marco is the merchant who sent intelligence to the Qin Kingdom to inform Old Man Lü about the matter."

Gongshu Chou nodded, "I see. I'm getting old and my memory isn't what it used to be, so I really don't remember him."

Wei Zhuang said, "They sent intelligence first, and now they've come again. They probably intend to defect. Let them in."

A moment later, Marco arrived with Shi He and Zhong Wugu.

"Marco, a merchant from the Western Regions, greets all distinguished guests!"

“Marco,” Gongshu Chou said, “it was you who delivered the intelligence to inform Old Man Lü about this matter. We will remember this and will recommend you for credit afterward.”

Marco said, "Although I come from the Western Regions, I have always admired the Qin Empire. It is my honor to be able to serve the empire."

"I am here today on another important matter. Distinguished guests, I met with Old Man Lü a few days ago, gained his trust, and seized a treasure from him. Hearing of the Imperial army's arrival today, I have come to present this treasure to you all!"

As he spoke, he took out a mechanical cylinder.

"Oh?"

Gongshu Chou immediately became interested and asked, "Have you already obtained the treasure he possessed?"

"Yes, it is within this mechanism. I will activate it now..."

"No need!"

Gongshu Chou simply took the mechanism cylinder, fiddled with it a couple of times, and solved the mechanism inside.

The mechanical cylinder unfolded, revealing a golden crystal and a book on mechanical arts.

Everyone immediately realized that Ma Ke had been tricked.

They also knew the exact appearance of that treasure.

"Ha ha……"

Gongshu Chou picked up the book on mechanisms and flipped through a couple of pages: "Mohist mechanisms? Boring, all old stuff. As for this crystal... it looks pretty good, but unfortunately, it's not the treasure the empire wants!"

(End of this chapter)