Chapter 474: Back-Up Plan

Ning Zhu sat cross-legged upon a ritual mat, surrounded by swirling clouds of ethereal energy,chewing upon spiritual sustenance within his mouth.He was cultivating.The Demon Infusion Blood Vessel Art!Within the Blood Earth Demonic Tendon Dantian, the earth was covered in layers of blood vessels.Within these vessels, blood qi flowed mightily, a ceaseless river.With each beat of Ning Zhu's heart, it rose and fell, like a natural tide.The Five Elements Qi Regulation Art!Within the Five Qi Celestial Pivot Dantian, a five-colored vortex, like a celestial tornado,propped up the heavens and trampled the earth.The Five Elements Qi were sometimes clearly distinct, at other times mixed into one body,transforming freely.The Mirror Platform Transcendent Art!Within the Clear Mirror Spirit Light Dantian, the sky was cloudless for ten thousand li.The upper and lower regions of the Dantian were flat and smooth, like two massive mirrors,serving as heaven and earth, the cosmos.Between the colossal heaven-earth mirrors, countless small mirror divine thoughtsfloated quietly.Ning Zhu was first suffused with red demonic light, blood qi overflowing,then five-colored radiance swirled around him, staining the inner layer of clouds.Finally, his aura retracted, and Buddhist nature ascended, filling his face with compassion.He slowly opened his eyes, exhaling a turbid breath.Essence blood, magical power, and spiritual sense were all at their current peak,causing his eyes to gleam with sharp light, full of vigor and vitality!He surveyed his surroundings, pondering in his heart,"Now that money is abundant, it is time to arrange a formation within the cultivation chamberto assist my cultivation.""With my Five Elements realm, laying down a Five Qi Returning Formationshould be within my capabilities.""Setting aside rare treasures like national power bricks,with an auxiliary cultivation formation, in the long run, accumulating bit by bit,it will absolutely be beneficial!"Ning Zhu was concealed within the Ten Thousand Li Roaming Dragon.Ever since Liu Er declared his intention to publicly pursue Mu Lan,Ning Zhu had anticipated that the Three Generals' Camp would suffer a severe blow.Therefore, he disappeared in advance, hiding within the Ten Thousand Li Roaming Dragon,guarding against possible attacks.Of course, the Ten Thousand Li Roaming Dragon did not directly leave the Three Generals' Camp;it remained hidden in a corner of the military camp.Furthermore, under Sun Lingtong's control, it would shift to other locationsat regular intervals, never staying in one place for too long.Ning Zhu finished his cultivation and opened the cabin door, stepping out.Upon reaching the dragon head cabin, Sun Lingtong said to him,"Xiao Zhu, your guess was indeed correct.""Zhang Hei has been captured, and Guan Hong has been stabbed.As for Liu Er, he is likely temporarily entangled in the City Lord's Mansion."Sun Lingtong showed Ning Zhu the image of Guan Hong being attacked.After seeing it, Ning Zhu's mood was heavy,"This Golden Core level assassin is very strong.If I were Guan Hong, I'm afraid my head would have already been taken by him.""Sun Gan and Shuang Jing's reaction is so strong,this means they also want to decide the outcome as quickly as possible.""The struggle centering around Mu Lan, the Red Flower Camp, and the Grand General's Mansionshould not last much longer."It was precisely because of this judgment that Ning Zhu still endured,not touching his three national power bricks.Sun Lingtong asked, "Xiao Zhu, what should we do next?"Ning Zhu said, "No one knows our true intentions; this is our advantage.Let's wait and see the contest between Liu Er and Sun Gan, Shuang Jing.""I am increasingly curious about what trump cards Liu Er is hiding."Ning Zhu patiently waited for Liu Er to return.Liu Er could not conceal his impatience, rushing back to the camp.He had never imagined that the counterattack would be so fierce and violent."Perhaps, Sun Gan and Shuang Jing have already joined forces!""Hmph!"Liu Er's mood was quite heavy. After returning to the military camp,he first charged straight into Guan Hong's tent."Second Brother, where are you injured? Quick, let your elder brother see!" Liu Er called out with genuine affection.Guan Hong's heart warmed, and he shook his head at Liu Er,"Elder Brother, do not worry too much. Your second brother is still alive, and the injuries are not severe.""This is not severe?!" Liu Er examined the injury on Guan Hong's arm, his eyes turning red.He grasped Guan Hong's arm, "It is I who have implicated you, Second Brother and Third Brother.""Elder Brother, we men who wander the world, how can we cherish our bodies?This minor injury is nothing; it will heal with a little rest." Guan Hong showed his manliness.Liu Er sighed, "Your right arm was already injured; now it is injury upon injury.Perhaps we can ask Zhang Zhongyi to treat it.""With our current relationship with the Red Flower Camp,it should not be difficult to ask Zhang Zhongyi for help."Guan Hong nodded, "Elder Brother, my injuries are not important.What is truly important is how to rescue Third Brother."Ning Zhu suddenly appeared, "Two General Sirs, General Zhang Hei is a prisoner-catching generalnewly appointed by the Two States. There will be no threat to his life.""Military Advisor!" Seeing Ning Zhu safe and sound,Liu Er and Guan Hong's eyes gleamed, visibly relieved.Ning Zhu was now the moneybag of the Three Generals' Camp.If he were to be harmed, the Three Generals' Camp would certainly not last long.To the Three Generals' Camp, Ning Zhu was extremely important!Ning Zhu cupped his hands, taking the initiative to apologize,saying he felt greatly ashamed for hiding and not fighting alongside General Guan Hongto share the pressure.Liu Er and Guan Hong both said that with Ning Zhu's mere Foundation Establishment cultivation,it was already difficult for him to protect himself.Facing strong enemies was naturally the responsibility of the three Golden Core cultivators.Ning Zhu's ability to protect himself had already saved them a lot of energy,and his performance was excellent enough!Ning Zhu then suggested to Liu Er that to rescue General Zhang Hei,they could use Mu Lan's connections.As the heir of the Grand General's Mansion, she was certainly not isolated and helplessin the imperial court; there should be lingering connections.Liu Er had been held back by the City Lord of蒼林仙城 (Cāng Lín Xiānchéng),which resulted in his second brother being attacked and his third brother being captured.He had already completely recognized the City Lord's true face.He then acted according to the plan, going to the Red Flower Camp to visit Mu Lan.Mu Lan had already received the intelligence and immediately met with Liu Er,stating that she had already sent a letter to the royal capitaland activated her connections.But at the same time, she also told Liu Er that she had no feelings for him,and they could be allies to fight against the enemy together.She also promised Liu Er that if he was willing,after she took charge of the Grand General's Seal,she could take him into her yamen and make him her subordinate.This would allow him to break through the limitations of his human-demon identityto a certain extent and become one of the high-ranking officials of the Two States.Liu Er stated that he was indeed sincere towards Mu Lan,and this time's act of extending a helping hand was guided by personal feelings,not for the sake of gain.Returning to the Three Generals' Camp, Liu Er uncharacteristically crushed a cup.His heart was filled with anger!Whether it was Shuang Jing, Sun Gan, or Mu Lan, they all looked down on him.The former two reacted so strongly because they believed Liu Er was also competing for Mu Lan,which was an insult to them!The latter, even in such a predicament, having received such crucial assistance from Liu Er,was unwilling to lower her stance and was direct and blunt, without even a hint of pretense."For someone like me, to achieve merit and establish a career, how difficult it is!"Liu Er's heart was filled with immense bitterness.His half-human, half-demon identity was truly unwelcome."Listening to my esteemed teacher's words and actively exposing my admiration for Mu Lanwas the key to attracting suppression.""This is only the first day.""Next, I fear..."Thinking of this, Liu Er's expression became very serious.That very night, the Three Generals' Camp caught fire, burning down many supplies.In the following few days, some soldiers would mysteriously disappearfrom the Three Generals' Camp every day without cause.Shuang Jing exerted his full strength, offering high prices,secretly attacking the Three Generals' Camp, desperately poaching people.The soldiers of the Three Generals' Camp were already dissatisfied.They had only consumed resources in the previous ambush battle and gained nothing.Even if they had achieved merit, it was the three generals and Ning Zhu who benefited the most.Therefore, more and more soldiers voluntarily left the Three Generals' Campand joined the White Jade Camp.Liu Er found Ning Zhu, wanting him to contribute more funds to stabilize morale.Ning Zhu, however, shook his head,"Our financial resources are limited. If we act in this manner,we will enter into a bidding war with Shuang Jing, which is extremely unwise.""This is not entirely a bad thing.""Cultivators with malicious intent can voluntarily leave the camp;those who remain are naturally more reliable, are they not?"Although Ning Zhu had become wealthy, he was unwilling to burn money on this matter.He concluded that the matter of Mu Lan would not last longand should be resolved soon."In this struggle, I am not the key.""Liu Er's trump card has not been revealed. Even if he fails and is eliminated,the struggle between Shuang Jing and Sun Gan will also be a fierce dragon-tiger battle."Seeing that Ning Zhu disagreed, Liu Er could only suppress his dissatisfaction,sighing repeatedly."Elder Brother! Look at this!"The tent was suddenly lifted, and Guan Hong, covered in blood qi,charged straight in.He threw a human head onto the ground, his body radiating a fierce aura.Liu Er and Ning Zhu were both astonished and pleasantly surprisedto find that this head was none other than the assassin who had attacked Guan Hong that day."Second Brother, how did you do it?" Liu Er asked.Guan Hong stroked his beard and said proudly,"That day, though heavily injured, I also used my saber techniqueto strike the assassin and gain a tracking sensation.""I did not act immediately, allowing this person to assassinate soldiers in my armyrepeatedly.""The more times he came, the more careless he became.""Today, sensing he was coming again, I boldly acted and ambushed him!"Ning Zhu immediately praised, "General Guan Hong is mighty!"Liu Er also applauded,"With this head, our army's morale will surely soar! Second Brother, you did a great job."The assassin's head was hung on the flagpole in the morning,and then it mysteriously disappeared in the afternoon.The morale of the Three Generals' Camp soared in the morning,slipped in the afternoon, and plummeted even further in the evening.All because the news of Mu Lan in the Red Flower Camp suddenly being injured and falling unconsciousspread throughout the immortal city and the major military camps.Liu Er and the others rushed into the camp to ascertain the truth.Mu Lan was indeed lying on the bed, her face as pale as golden paper,unconscious."I heard that General Mu Lan suddenly vomited blood and fainted while training soldiers.What exactly happened?" Liu Er asked urgently.Zhang Zhongyi sighed,"Based on the various clues collected afterward, it can be concludedthat someone secretly employed the Art of Defeating Soldiers and Crippling Generals!""Our Red Flower Camp was defeated by the enemy in the previous ambush battle,becoming defeated soldiers.""General Mu Lan worked hard to train soldiers and suddenly fell victim to this military technique.The military qi immediately surged, achieving the goal of crippling a general.This caused her to vomit blood and faint on the spot.Although her life is not in danger now, it will likely take three days for her to wake up."This was a huge piece of bad news, startling Liu Er and Ning Zhu.Zhang Zhongyi cupped his hands,"I implore General Liu and Young Master Ning Zhu to lend a handand protect General Mu Lan to prevent sneak attacks."Liu Er immediately agreed.Ning Zhu, however, mused, "Sun Gan and Shuang Jing are aiming for the Grand General's Seal;they will certainly preserve General Mu Lan's life.""They must have a follow-up move!""This follow-up move is what we should be most wary of."But what was the follow-up move? The few of them discussed it,but lacking information, they gained no insights.The next day.The gates of the Red Flower Camp were hastily opened.Zhang Zhongyi, Liu Er, Ning Zhu, and others came out to greet them.The envoy from the royal capital, with his head held high,holding an imperial decree, stepped out of the carriage."Where is General Mu Lan?" the envoy asked condescendingly, his demeanor unfriendly.Ning Zhu and Liu Er's gazes met for a moment and then parted.A strong sense of unease arose in their hearts.This follow-up move was far more substantial than they had imagined!