CH 5

Gu Zhixiong sat at a table cozily sipping hot tea. He was in a room on the third floor of an inn.

Qin Yuanjia was leaning in front of the window, gazing at the direction in which the residence of Chen Qing was located.

From the day they received Su Xuan’s order,  both men summoned minions they trusted and placed eyes around the Chen residence.

Eleven days had passed since they had been assigned this task.

After the Dachu envoy arrived at the Chen residence, he performed no actions other than occasionally strolling around outside the gate.

As the saying went, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment when things don’t go as expected. After spending so many days and gaining no results, the two men’s initial passion and excitement faded out. They felt coldness remaining after that final spark of excitement went out, like a basin of cold water had been poured over them.

“Elder brother Qin, if someone does go out from the Chen Mansion, they will be found out at once.” Gu Zhixiong took a sip of tea and continued quietly: “We have stationed more than a hundred people to watch the movements that happen near the Chen Mansion. Even if a fly flies out, it will be monitored.”

“Come and have a cup of tea. If there is movement, our vassals will naturally report about it.” Gu Zhixiong gave him a cup of tea while deeply inhaling it’s scent, and laughed, “This is the Bi Luo Chun given by Huang Shankong, the Minister of War. Just these two taels of tea, costs ten taels of silver! Don’t you want to taste it?”

“I do not have the heart to drink anything, even if it costs a thousand taels of silver.”

Qin Yuanjia asked indifferently, “Old Gu, eleven days have passed. How come there is still no movement?” Qin Yuanjia paused for a second, then continued, “Who do you think the person the lord wants us to guard is?”

“How would I know that?” Gu Zhixiong replied while chuckling softly, “But one can speculate.”

“Lord Su sent us to monitor the Chen Mansion just after the envoy and his party arrived.”

“I think he thought that the Dachu party would make some moves.”

Qin Yuanjia’s heart twitched as he couldn’t help but mutter, “Are you saying that Dachu sent an envoy to Dafeng in the cover of the friendship between the two countries, but in reality, they wanted to take this opportunity to probe Dafeng’s national strength and then raise an army to attack Dafeng if everything met their expectations?”

Gu Zhixiong smiled and said with widened eyes, “Aren’t you too worried about such an improbable event? There is a thousand mile wide desert between Dafeng and Dachu. If Dachu wants to attack Dafeng, then it must cross the entire borderless desert. If Dafeng sends troops to cut off the subsequent supply of this army…” Gu Zhixiong paused for a few seconds to let the explanation he had given simmer in Qin Yuanjia’s mind, before saying, “A war between Dafeng and Dachu is nigh impossible, unless…”

“Unless what?” Qin Yuanjia couldn’t help but ask.

“Unless a Martial Saint powerhouse appears on either side.” Gu Zhixiong continued, “Only a Martial Saint who can change the landscape of a thousand miles with the wave of his hand can change the fate of an entire dynasty with just his emergence.”

Qin Yuanjia smiled and shook his head, “If a Martial Saint powerhouse appeared, the hierarchy between the seven kingdoms in the Mid Divinity Land would be rewritten, not just between Dachu and Dafeng. But the balance between these seven countries has been maintained since no Martial Saint powerhouse has appeared for hundreds of years. It is after all extremely hard to step into the Martial Saint realm.”

“Yes.” Gu Zhixiong also couldn’t help but give his opinion, “Entering the Martial Saint realm is as hard as trying to reach the heavens. I’ll be satisfied with my life if I can advance to the Hidden Divinity Realm.”

“Hidden Divinity Realm?” The corners of Qin Yuanjia’s mouth pulled up with contempt: “Even if you enter Heavenly Origin realm, your ancestors will be smoking in their graves.”