Zongwu: Aspiring to be the mastermind behind the scenes

Chapter 352 A Thousand Considerations, One Mistake; A 50,000 Transaction
The Star Luo Sect's convoy escorting Li Xunhuan and Lu Xiaofeng initially consisted of only twenty-one people: Huo Tianqing and the twenty Rakshasa soldiers.

However, they did not advance quickly, so soon eighty Rakshasa soldiers arrived and joined the ranks, forming a hundred-man cavalry unit.

Although few in number, each of them possesses innate talent, is fully armored, and has terrifying combat power.

Only then did the team's forward speed increase somewhat.

At the same time, news that the two had been captured by the Xingluo Sect and were to be traded to Shi Guanyin spread from the border to the Western Regions and the Central Plains with the help of the Xingluo Sect.

When he had nothing to do, Huo Tianqing would ride his horse along the side of the prison cart and chat with Lu Xiaofeng. During their conversation, he brought up the matter.

Lu Xiaofeng asked, "Was this also Shi Guanyin's request?"

“That’s right,” Huo Tianqing said, “Shi Guanyin doesn’t have any grudge against either of you… well, to be precise, she doesn’t have any major grudge. Her real target is still Chu Liuxiang.”

However, Ji Bingyan and Hu Tiehua have both been rescued by Chu Liuxiang and cannot be found in the short term, so she has set her sights on you. Or rather, on everyone connected to Chu Liuxiang!

Shi Guanyin's move is based on the principle of not letting any mistake go unpunished.

However, her biggest weakness is that she is somewhat behind in terms of intelligence.

She knew that Chu Liuxiang was friends with Ji Bingyan and Hu Tiehua, and also had connections with Li Xunhuan and Lu Xiaofeng. She also knew that there were always three stunningly beautiful women around Chu Liuxiang.

However, she was unaware that Su Rongrong and the other two women were also in the desert at the same time, so she did not provide their portraits or wanted posters in the deal with the Star Luo Sect.

The Star Luo Sect knows about this, but they won't interfere.

After hearing this, Lu Xiaofeng gritted his teeth in resentment: "That Chu Liuxiang... once we return to the Central Plains, this matter won't be settled without at least ten feasts!"

Although they were imprisoned in a prison van, strictly speaking, the two were collaborators, so Huo Tianqing did not treat them as prisoners.

As for food, the two of them ate the same things as the others, but they were never allowed to come out.

Being trapped in the prison van for so long not only made it difficult for them to move around, but more importantly, it was really uncomfortable to sleep.

Lu Xiaofeng kept clamoring to go out for some fresh air, but Huo Tianqing naturally wouldn't agree.

“You are prisoners now. When you are brought before Shi Guanyin, you should be covered in dirt and look pale and emaciated. If you are brought before her looking radiant and with a rosy complexion, everyone will be able to tell that something is wrong.”

Huo Tianqing laughed and said, "Besides, you're already in the prison van, what right do you have to negotiate with me? You've already used up your only chance to negotiate."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiaofeng felt immediately frustrated: "How could I have guessed that Kunsha had been planning to kill two birds with one stone from the very beginning?"

Huo Tianqing asked curiously, "Speaking of which, why didn't you make a move and fight me back then?"

Lu Xiaofeng was speechless: "Do you think I'm stupid? I was there when Kunsha used the power of the Heavenly Crystal to easily suppress Yu Luosha. You were also carrying the Heavenly Crystal then, how could the two of us possibly have won?"

Huo Tianqing laughed and said, "That's not necessarily true. How can my spirit and will compare to the Sect Leader's? Perhaps, the Heavenly Crystal in my hands won't be able to unleash its full power?"

Lu Xiaofeng glanced at him and said, "The power of the Heavenly Crystal is boundless, and the power of heaven and earth is endless. Even if you can only exert the strength of a Second Flower Grandmaster, you can wear us down to death. That would be a battle we are bound to lose. Why bother fighting?"
It would be better to surrender directly, negotiate terms, and exchange them for a different chance of survival. However, if you refuse my terms at that point, then a fight will be inevitable.

Knowing they are outmatched, seeking other ways to survive is certainly a wise move.

The only thing Lu Xiaofeng hadn't anticipated was that Kunsha had never intended to make a proper deal from the start.

By negotiating terms, he inadvertently made himself a fish that willingly jumped into the net.

He's a complete clown.

Lu Xiaofeng then fell silent.

The Royal Palace of Tianxiang Kingdom.

The subordinate reported to Liu Xi: "The army has captured more than 30,000 Tianxiang people. After interrogation, more than 1,000 were killed, and the rest were temporarily imprisoned according to the Queen's orders."

However, only a few officials were captured; none of the royal family members were apprehended.

"Alright," Liu Xi frowned, clearly not satisfied with the current progress: "Order the army to speed up the search. I refuse to believe that so many people can escape through the army's encirclement."

A few days ago, all the people of the entire Tianxiang Kingdom were evacuated.

But they had only left a little over half a day earlier.

Without the help of Li Xunhuan and others, Liu Xi quickly stormed the city gate, broke through the defenses of the garrison soldiers, and entered the city. He immediately sent men to pursue them.

These pursuers, facing tens of thousands of civilians, had no choice but to relentlessly pursue them.

And so, the reinforcements from the Kingdom of Guizi arrived.

The army captured most of the people of Tianxiang Kingdom, and only the king and a few nobles were able to escape.

In fact, according to Liu Xi's wishes, all these people should be killed, but Shi Guanyin stopped him.

The reason, of course, is her deal with the Star Luo Sect.

"Queen."

Wu Hua entered the palace, carrying a message: "The Star Luo Sect has sent word that they have successfully captured Lu Xiaofeng and Li Xunhuan and are on their way here."

However, they disagreed with trading in Tianxiang Kingdom, believing it to be too far away, and instead chose 'Jieyu Peak', which was located in the middle.

In addition, they also demanded that we hand over a portion of the chips in advance…

"You caught him so quickly?"

On the throne, Shi Guanyin, who had been indifferent to everything, suddenly perked up and laughed, "The Star Luo Sect is indeed quite capable!"
"Then immediately spread the word to lure Chu Liuxiang here. As for the conditions, agree to them all. Send men now to escort half the population over!"

Liu Xi cried out in alarm, "Your Majesty..."

"Shut up!"

Shi Guanyin's gaze turned cold: "Liu Xi, you haven't completed even a fraction of the agreement I reached with your Eastern Depot. I even need to contact the Star Luo Sect again to negotiate other conditions to ask them to take action!"
If it weren't for the great efforts my Kingdom of Guizi has already made, and the conditions your Eastern Depot has given not yet been fulfilled, do you think you would still be able to stand here and speak to me?

However, this reminds me that your Eastern Depot must immediately deliver half of the goods according to the terms of the agreement, otherwise…”

Liu Xi trembled under the chilling killing intent unleashed by the Three Flowers Grandmaster.

The threat of death overwhelmed him, and he dared not utter another word, nodding repeatedly, "Yes...yes, Your Majesty!"

"Hmph!" Shi Guanyin snorted coldly and said, "Let's set off for Jieyu Peak!"

Many places in the Western Regions are rich in beautiful jade.

Beautiful jade is hidden inside pieces of stone.

Jieyu Peak is a place rich in beautiful jade. The reason it is named Jieyu Peak is to express a beautiful hope that every piece of raw stone produced here can be cut into beautiful jade.

However, with people's frenzied mining, the raw stone resources in this area have been nearly exhausted, and the crowds that gathered here have naturally dispersed.

Only one mountain peak remains standing, unchanged since ancient times.

Shi Guanyin led three thousand cavalrymen from the Guizi Kingdom and was the first to arrive at this place.

The group included Liu Xi, Wu Hua, and many experts from the Guizi Kingdom and the Eastern Depot.

The 15,000 citizens of Tianxiang Kingdom were sent directly to the Xingluo Sect via another route.

As the hundred-man escorting the two prison wagons slowly approached, a foreman from the Eastern Depot scoffed, "Just a hundred men escorting them? The Star Luo Sect is underestimating this matter!"

Liu Xi glared at him and said, "Shut up! Those hundred men are Rakshasa soldiers, all of them at the Innate Realm and clad in full iron armor. I'm afraid any one of them could fight you to a standstill!"

"They're all innate?!"

Not everyone knew this information, and several people couldn't help but show expressions of shock. But even those who knew this information were not entirely unmoved.

Even Wu Hua, Liu Xi, and the others all wore solemn expressions.

Countries train elite troops specifically to deal with martial arts masters, but most of them are actually just ordinary people, with only a few being martial artists.

Let alone all of them being born with innate talent, even if all of them were born with acquired talent, you could find very few soldiers like them in the entire Nine Provinces and Four Seas.

The monarchs of many countries wanted to know how the Jade Rakshasa was made.

Of course, it's not about how these three thousand Rakshasa soldiers were assembled. Anyone could guess that Jade Rakshasa must have made them practice an evil technique that could rapidly enhance their strength.

What truly puzzled the monarchs of various countries was how Jade Rakshasa had managed to secure the loyalty of these three thousand Rakshasa soldiers.

You should know that a martial artist with innate talent can dominate a county town in the Central Plains and act arrogantly.

Instead of enjoying wealth and honor, they choose to be slaves to others.

And there are more than just one such person; there are a total of three thousand!
This is the secret that monarchs from all countries truly want to know.

However, Yu Luosha herself is a Three Flowers Grandmaster, and she has three thousand Xiantian under her command. Which force would dare to provoke her?

That means only Grandmasters.

However, the martial arts world and the imperial court are opposites. Which grandmaster would be willing to explore the results and then hand them over to those emperors?
If these emperors were to obtain the secret of the Jade Rakshasa, the martial arts world would ultimately suffer the consequences!
Even some grandmasters who were loyal to the emperor would not do such a thing.

After all, at the Grandmaster level, there are very few people who are completely loyal to the emperor. Even if there are, they will only be loyal to one emperor. As for the descendants of that emperor... well, it's considered a favor if they can keep them alive.

way forward.

Go further.

That is what a grandmaster pursues.

To achieve these goals, communication with others at the same level is inevitable.

Many grandmasters who were loyal to the imperial court probably had deeper friendships with other grandmasters from the martial arts world than they did with the emperor.

Even grandmasters are human.

Humans are inherently selfish.

Stone Guanyin was quite satisfied.

The Rakshasa Army of the Star Luo Sect is renowned and incredibly powerful. If there were too many of them, forming a battle formation, even she would likely be in danger.

However, the opponent only brought a hundred people with him, so even if they were strong, they posed no threat to her.

This is sincerity.

Although she had heard about the Heavenly Crystal and the Energy Box, she knew that the other party was definitely not that simple.

But she was confident she could escape from just one powerful opponent.

"Greetings, Your Majesty the Queen of Kuja!"

Huo Tianqing dismounted and bowed, saying, "Qingfeng of the Xingluo Sect sends greetings to Your Majesty on behalf of the sect leader."

"Very well, when you return, please give my regards to your leader."

"Yes."

Huo Tianqing then looked at the two prison carts: "These two are Lu Xiaofeng and Li Xunhuan, whom we have captured. Your Majesty is free to send people to check them."

"Wuhua, go!"

Wu Hua was born in the Shaolin Temple in the Central Plains and was known as one of the Seven Wonders Monks. In order to carry out his conspiracy, he had specially learned techniques such as disguise.

It would be ideal to have him examine it.

Wu Hua quickly finished the inspection and confirmed that the two were not disguised.

During the process, Lu Xiaofeng, who couldn't stop talking, tried to chat with Wuhua, but Wuhua completely ignored them.

"Yes, these two are indeed Lu Xiaofeng and Li Xunhuan."

"How could it be fake?" Huo Tianqing said, "The cages that imprison the two of them were specially made by my Xingluo Sect using ironwood and refined steel to ensure that they could not escape."

"Thank you, Your Excellency Qingfeng."

"Now that the goods have been inspected, Your Majesty, when will the remaining portion of the agreement be delivered?"

Shi Guanyin smiled and said, "I can hand it over right now!"

He then sent a message by carrier pigeon to send the remaining 15,000 people from Tianxiang Kingdom and the 20,000 civilians captured in Guizi Kingdom to Xingluo Sect.

Adding to the 15,000 people already being escorted on the road, the total of 50,000 people is the price Shi Guanyin paid for this transaction!
Trading 50,000 people for two people.

The purpose of arresting these two people was simply to lure another person to come to them.

It has to be said that Chu Liuxiang really has quite a presence in this Western Desert.

Afterwards, Huo Tianqing handed over the two prison carts to the other party and then took his leave.

Although the Thunder Sword and the throwing knives were hidden on the prison cart, Huo Tianqing was not worried that they would switch the prison cart.

The reason is simple: the prison cart was made of solid materials, and the Western Regions were far behind the Central Plains in terms of production technology.

Putting aside everything else, there are very few people in the Western Regions who can forge that hundred-times-refined steel.

Even if it were possible, it would probably be impossible to forge two prison wagons with refined steel in a short period of time.

Of course, Shi Guanyin must have had other ways to imprison the two.

For example, they could use poison to limit the strength of the two.

If that's the case, then there's nothing we can do.

Huo Tianqing was only responsible for instructing them to deliver the goods to their destination; he didn't concern himself with anything else.

As for whether Shi Guanyin will abide by the agreement, there's even less to worry about.

The agreement between the two parties has been signed, and the transaction has been completed.

With the agreement in hand, the Star Luo Sect had no worries about the other party violating it.

It wasn't that I trusted Shi Guanyin's credibility, but rather that I believed in the strength of the Xingluo Sect.

If Shi Guanyin violates the agreement, then the Xingluo Sect will have a legitimate reason to attack.

Even if she dies, the Kingdom of Guizi must still dutifully abide by the agreement.

Otherwise, the Xingluo Sect, which is already implementing its Western Regions strategy, would not hesitate to take matters into its own hands and destroy the Guizi Kingdom.

Perhaps in time, they can capture even more people.

The reason why the Star Luo Sect is not taking action at the moment is twofold: first, to allow for development, and second, to avoid excessively provoking the various forces in the Western Regions.

But if there's a legitimate reason for the attack, then they can't blame anyone else...

(End of this chapter)