CH 120

Chapter 120: Who says we have no grievances? Our grievances are substantial!

You should know that her identity is top secret!

Except for those close to her, no one else knows how the man in front of her found out.

Lin Beifan smiled faintly, “Because you just used the Soul-Entwining Technique, trying to charm my soul! As far as I know, there aren’t many forces that possess this secret technique. The fallen Slanted Moon Dynasty is one of them. It’s their closely guarded secret, only taught to female members of the royal family who possess a captivating physique! Of course, at this moment, I still can’t be certain of your identity. But…”

Lin Beifan pointed at the dagger in the maid’s hand and said, “This dagger gave you away! From what I know, the Slanted Moon Dynasty once obtained a piece of extraterrestrial meteorite. It is indestructible and as black as ink. They used it to forge a batch of daggers called ‘Ink Blades,’ which were given to the most loyal warriors as personal guards for important royal members!”

“Your maid possesses extraordinary strength. She rushed in without hesitation just now and smoothly drew out the Ink Blade. It’s evident that she’s accustomed to using it! So, I made a bold guess and didn’t expect it to be true!”

Ziyue glanced deeply at Lin Beifan and said, “The top scholar is truly knowledgeable and erudite. With only a set of techniques and a dagger, you already know my identity. I truly admire that!”

“You flatter me!” Lin Beifan smirked.

In truth, he relied on his system. As long as something had value, it couldn’t escape his scrutiny.

This dagger clearly had great value, so he saw through it.

“But sometimes, the more you know, the shorter your life becomes! My identity is sensitive. Now that you know it, I can’t let you live!” Ziyue’s gaze turned cold.

“Princess, kill him!” The maid’s eyes gleamed with cold light, seemingly ready to make a move.

Lin Beifan confidently said, “You absolutely wouldn’t dare lay a hand on me!”

Ziyue asked, “Why do you say that?”

Lin Beifan calmly smiled, “Because the imperial city is filled with experts, and there are tens of thousands of soldiers and martial artists guarding it! I am an official appointed by the court, and currently, I am in favor with the current empress. If you kill me, it will surely provoke her wrath! Experts will surround the city, and the mighty army will encroach upon this land. You and your people will have nowhere to escape!”

Ziyue threatened, “I can take you as a hostage and kill our way out of the city!”

Lin Beifan shook his head, “No, you don’t have that opportunity.”

Ziyue asked again, “Why do you say that?”

“Because the senior monk in my family, with the Dharma name Jing Tai, is a grandmaster! Do you think you can take me out of the city under the watchful eyes of a grandmaster?” Lin Beifan smiled.

Ziyue was filled with astonishment, “That old monk is actually a grandmaster!”

A grandmaster, that’s the pinnacle of world-class power!

Even the weakest third-grade grandmaster possesses invincible strength, capable of single-handedly facing thousands of troops!

No one can play tricks in front of a grandmaster!

The only ones who can contend with a grandmaster are also grandmasters!

Ziyue never expected that there was a grandmaster living in Lin Beifan’s house!

The situation became tricky!

It’s not scary to offend the court, as there would still be a chance to survive!

But if you offend a grandmaster, you will definitely be hunted down with no way to escape!

“You… didn’t deceive me?” Ziyue was taken aback.

“I guarantee it’s true. If you don’t believe it, you can try it!” Lin Beifan smiled.

Ziyue’s face was full of disappointment. She had thought that by using the Purple Jade Soul-Entwining Technique, she could bewitch the other party and make him serve her.

She didn’t expect that the other party would be completely unaffected.

And now, he even recognized her identity, making it impossible to kill him or take him away.

She felt like she was dealing with a hedgehog, no matter how she touched it, she would be pricked.

“Miss Ziyue, we can sit down and talk properly now! Also, ask your maid to continue playing the zither, or else accidents might happen!” Lin Beifan smiled and invited Ziyue to sit down again.

“Hmph! What is there to talk about between us?” Ziyue sat down unkindly, while instructing her maid to continue playing the zither to conceal their conversation.

“I can’t figure it out, Miss Ziyue. Why did you try to harm me?” Lin Beifan asked puzzled, “We are complete strangers, with no personal grudges or grievances. Could it be that you just wanted to use me for your own purposes?”

“Who said we have no grievances? Our grievances are substantial!” Ziyue gritted her teeth and glared at Lin Beifan.

“Do tell me more about it!” Lin Beifan asked.

Ziyue immediately explained their grievances to him. They had previously deceived a group of common people in Eastern Jiang under the name of the Tianyi Sect, planning to start a rebellion. The situation was developing rapidly, but Lin Beifan saw through their true intentions and effortlessly exposed their tricks of deceiving the masses, rendering all their previous efforts in vain. Now, they had become like rats crossing the street, wanted and hunted by the court.

“Don’t you think this grudge is big? Isn’t this resentment deep?” Ziyue gnashed her teeth and said.

“I didn’t expect it to be this reason!” Lin Beifan sighed helplessly.

So it turned out that he had accidentally injured them, no wonder they came looking for him!

“Then I’m puzzled. It was the Dàyue Dynasty that annihilated your country. What are you doing causing trouble in Great Wu territory?” Lin Beifan slapped his forehead. “Oh, I understand now. You want to pick on the weak!”

Ziyue glanced at Lin Beifan faintly, then said with hatred, “You’re right! The Slanted Moon Dynasty was destroyed by the Dàyue Dynasty twenty years ago. At that time, I was still a child under the age of five and luckily escaped the disaster. For the past twenty years, I have been thinking about restoring my country and seeking revenge for my father and mother!”

“But it’s easier said than done!” Ziyue’s face was full of despair. “In the past twenty years, the Dàyue Dynasty has become stronger and stronger, with a powerful army. My hopes of revenge and restoration have become increasingly slim. That’s why I placed my hope in Great Wu!”

A glimmer of light flashed in Ziyue’s eyes. “Now, the Great Wu Empire is ruled by vassal kings, surrounded by wolves, corrupt in its court, and the people are living in misery! Great Wu has the name of an empire, but lacks the essence of an empire. It could collapse at any time. It is the perfect place to cultivate power and establish a regime!”

“As long as I seize a piece of land here, gather the people, and cultivate my own army, there will be a chance for revenge and restoration!”

“I see now!” Lin Beifan suddenly understood.

“But everything has been ruined by you!” Ziyue said bitterly.

With a sharp tone, Lin Beifan disdainfully replied, “Even without me, you would have difficulty achieving anything!”

Ziyue was irritated by his contemptuous gaze and slammed her palm on the table. “You dare to look down on me?”

Lin Beifan raised an eyebrow provocatively. “Don’t doubt it, I do look down on you!”

“You!” Ziyue was about to faint from anger.

“Now that I’m in a good mood, I’ll explain it to you and see where you went wrong!” Lin Beifan chuckled.

“Fine! I want to hear the details!” Ziyue gritted her teeth.

“Firstly, your choice of location is wrong!”

“What’s wrong with it?” Ziyue retorted, “The reason I chose Eastern Jiang is because the common people there are relatively poor and ignorant. The court’s governance is lax, and there are fewer troops! That’s why I started with the sect and used the people for my own purposes! Look, within less than a month, we’ve developed a force of tens of thousands!”

As she said this, there was a hint of pride on Ziyue’s face.

Lin Beifan chuckled softly, “How did you determine that Eastern Jiang’s governance is lax? You should know that it’s the only place without a vassal king! From top to bottom, it has always been under the control of the court! The reason there are fewer troops is that there is no need to station them there! Do you really think that the Great Wu court is a toothless tiger, useless?”

“This… isn’t it?” Ziyue felt somewhat guilty.

“Remember, even a starved camel is still bigger than a horse!”

Lin Beifan sneered, “Now, the Great Wu court is still legitimate. It remains the most powerful force within this empire! Although the other vassal kings have rapidly expanded their strength, they dare only make moves in secret and wouldn’t dare to openly oppose the court! Yet you, on the only territory of Great Wu, act mysteriously, deceiving the people, and subverting the regime. Isn’t that seeking death?”

“If I don’t eradicate you, that would be abnormal!”

Ziyue was berated to the point of being speechless. After thinking about it, she realized there was some truth to it. However, she refused to admit it and retorted, “If not here, then where should I choose? Should I choose the territories of the vassal kings? They have a strong army and are formidable. How could we rebel against them?”

“That’s right, you should choose the territories of the vassal kings!” Lin Beifan clapped his hands and laughed. “Cause trouble in their territories, under the guise of resisting the court! The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Those vassal kings will turn a blind eye, and they might even provide you with convenient conditions! The court won’t be able to reach out its hands as they are too far away! This way, things will naturally flourish!”

“You can even get involved with the local princes! On the surface, you submit to them, but secretly, you can leverage their resources for your own development! No matter what happens, they will take the blame while you quietly develop and accumulate strength behind the scenes! Isn’t this a good plan?”

Ziyue was greatly moved by what she heard.

Yes, why didn’t I think of that?

Choosing the territories of the vassal kings is obviously more advantageous!

The vassal kings won’t deal with them, and the court can’t deal with them. They can survive and develop in the cracks!

There is also an opportunity to cooperate with the vassal kings. No matter what happens, they will take the lead!

Meanwhile, she can slowly develop from behind, preserve her strength, and accumulate power!

Once the timing is right, they can ignite a prairie fire!

“By the way, do you currently lack manpower or resources, or both?” Lin Beifan asked.

“We don’t lack resources, mainly manpower!” Ziyue said.

“Then go to Wuxi!” Lin Beifan slapped his thigh.

“But Wuxi has vast land and few people…”

“It’s precisely because it has vast land and few people that you should go!” Lin Beifan smiled. “Although it seems sparsely populated there, in reality, the population is not small. It’s just that the area is large, which makes it seem like there are fewer people! Otherwise, Wuxi wouldn’t be able to raise an army of millions!”

“It will be easier for you to succeed in starting a rebellion there! They don’t lack people, but they lack resources and wealth. Since you have money, you can easily assemble a force! Compared to closed-off regions, you can continue your deceptive methods there! Due to the vast land, it’s easier to hide and not easily be eliminated!”

“By quietly developing and accumulating strength, you will inevitably grow stronger one day! That’s why I can’t understand why you didn’t choose such a favorable place and instead chose Eastern Jiang. Are you all out of your minds?”

Ziyue’s face turned red from being scolded!

She tried to refute, but then realized…

The other party was right!

“But if we develop there, we will have to face the million-strong army of the Wuxi Duke. That’s why we didn’t choose Wuxi in the first place!” Ziyue’s beautiful eyes conveyed her concern.

“A million-strong army is just an intimidation tactic, nothing to fear! Have you ever heard of guerrilla warfare? Have you heard of tunnel warfare? As long as you master these two tactics, the Wuxi Duke won’t be able to do anything to you!” Lin Beifan smirked.

“I haven’t heard of these two warfare tactics, Sir Lin. Could you…?” Ziyue humbly asked for advice.

“Since you haven’t heard of them, forget it. We can discuss it when there’s an opportunity in the future!” Lin Beifan waved his hand.

Ziyue: “…”