Chapter 149: Preparations!
“Young master!”
Suddenly, footsteps sounded from behind. Dressed in a black robe, Shen Hai walked over from the depths of the shadows.
“I’ve already checked, and there hasn’t been any peculiar old man appearing in the vicinity recently. No one else has appeared in this house either.”
Shen Hai said.
There were a few other w.a.n.g Family Residence guards following behind him.
For this operation, the guards had split into two groups. One was led by w.a.n.g Chong while the other one was led by Shen Hai. Even though they came by different routes following different clues, they eventually converged at this location.
“Seems like the Demonic Emperor Old Man hasn’t appeared yet!”
w.a.n.g Chong thought as he stared at the starry sky above.
Initially, w.a.n.g Chong thought that he might be a little too late for this operation. If the Demonic Emperor Old Man had already found Zhou Wen, then that would be the worst case scenario.
But from the looks of it, even though w.a.n.g Chong had noticed the clue a little late, it seemed like the incident hadn’t occurred yet.
In other words, he still stood a chance.
“For the next few days, you all will follow him. Deploy all of the guards in the w.a.n.g Family Residence for this and take note of every single action of his. Also, inform Wei Hao of the matter and borrow some men from their side for this operation as well.”
w.a.n.g Chong said.
“However, if we were to deploy all of the guards from the residence for this operation, what if another a.s.sa.s.sination occurs?”
Shen Hai frowned.
If not for Arloja, Ablonodan, and Tuoba Guiyuan, the Charax Spasinu a.s.sa.s.sins might have successfully gotten in then. Madam w.a.n.g was still living in the residence, and her safety had to be considered.
“Don’t worry. I’ve already informed Miyasame Ayaka to return.”
w.a.n.g Chong smiled. Given that the a.s.sa.s.sin Pavilion had been cleared out, there was nothing that could threaten the w.a.n.g Clan now. Besides, he had Li Zhuxin by his side as well.
During this period of time, he just had to keep Li Zhuxin in the residence. One will remain in the open while the other one hides in the dark. On top of that, Arloja, Ablonodan, and Tuoba Guiyuan will be there as well. Even though there will only be five people there, the w.a.n.g Family Residence could be considered as an impregnable fortress already!
No one who tries to enter will be able to get out alive!
“Right, have you all got any news on that Mosaide yet?”
w.a.n.g Chong asked.
“Not yet.”
Shen Hai shook his head.
“We’ve already questioned the other Charax Spasinu merchants via Big Golden Tooth, and there isn’t anyone called Mosaide among them. However, there is a person named Sulaiman who happens to be a close fit to our description.”
“Sulaiman?”
w.a.n.g Chong eyebrows twitched. “You said that his name is Sulaiman?”
“Yes, young master. However, based on the news we got, he has already left the capital for Charax Spasinu about a month ago.”
Thinking that w.a.n.g Chong didn’t catch his words clearly, Shen Hai repeated.
Silence drifted across the dark night, and w.a.n.g Chong gazed at the skies with a bizarre expression. An inexplicable feeling welled within his heart.
He had no doubt that the a.s.sa.s.sination that night was the doing of Charax Spasinu merchant, Mosaide.
w.a.n.g Chong wasn’t clear about what kind of person Mosaide was, but as for Sulaiman…
If w.a.n.g Chong remembered clearly, he was the fellow who brought the Wootz steel to the Central Plains and sold it for an astronomical sum in his previous life.
Currently, the Hyderabad ores had just barely surfaced, and Charax Spasinu and Abbasid Caliphate should still be incapable of forging true Wootz steel weapons yet.
The time wasn’t ripe yet, but Sulaiman had appeared in the Central Plains and attended the sales w.a.n.g Chong conducted at the Bluebottle Pavilion.
For a person who would bring Wootz steel to the Central Plains in the future to be buying Wootz steel from the Central Plains instead, even going to the extent of dispatching a.s.sa.s.sins to steal it…
Destiny was indeed a mystical and unfathomable thing!
“Hmph! You sure escaped fast!”
A faint but bizarre smile slowly spread on w.a.n.g Chong’s face.
Sulaiman didn’t come to sell the Wootz steel sword in the Central Plains just to boost the strength of the Central Plains. w.a.n.g Chong knew that the sales was just a cover. In truth, that fellow had another mission—intelligence gathering.
In the future war between the Abbasid Caliphate and Great Tang, the intelligence Sulaiman provided played a crucial role.
However, this fellow was simply too cunning. Even w.a.n.g Chong didn’t expect him to have sneaked into Great Tang long before the sales of the Wootz steel sword, even a.s.suming the ident.i.ty of Mosaide for it.
In his previous life, w.a.n.g Chong was an ordinary profligate scion. While he had heard of Sulaiman, he never met him, so how could he had known?
Besides, this fellow was extremely wary. As soon as the slightest sign of danger appeared before him, he would escape immediately, not granting anyone the chance to capture him.
It wasn’t without a reason that this fellow was able to become the chief spy of the Abbasid Caliphate and Charax Spasinu in the future.
“It’ll be your death date the next time I see you!”
A cold glint flashed across w.a.n.g Chong’s eyes, and he soon dumped this matter to the back of his head. Dealing with Sulaiman was a matter for the future; what was important now was the Demonic Emperor Old Man.
In w.a.n.g Chong’s plan, the 《Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art》 played a crucial role. Without this divine technique, it would be impossible for w.a.n.g Chong to reach the same level as he did back then in just a few years time.
Without unparalleled martial arts and cultivation, it would be difficult for him to even interfere in the war that would shake the entire world, needless to say, change destiny.
Thus, the 《Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art》 was something he had to obtain.
If he were to obtain both the 《Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art》 and Elder Su Zhengchen’s 《Art of G.o.d and Demon Obliteration》, and complement their flaws with the might of the other, he would be able to become one of the top experts in the world swiftly!
These two techniques were the two most important rings in w.a.n.g Chong’s plan after his reincarnation.
Only with the support of the overwhelmingly powerful 《Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art》 would the 《Art of G.o.d and Demon Obliteration》 gain the strength to destroy everything standing before its path.
And only when the 《Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art》 was complemented with the 《Art of G.o.d and Demon Obliteration》 would it be able to bring out its true fearsome might!
However, to obtain the both of them simultaneously was simply too difficult.
In his previous life, no one had succeeded in doing so. To most, this thought was so ludicrous that none dared to consider the possibility. However, this was the only option w.a.n.g Chong had.
This was the only way that he could surpa.s.s the limits he faced in his previous life and accomplish what he failed in then.
“Shen Hai, there’s a matter that I would like to entrust you with.”
w.a.n.g Chong said.
“Young master, feel free to speak.”
Shen Hai replied without any hesitation.
“Tell Wei Hao to negotiate with the head of the Zhou Clan, and regardless of what method he uses, make sure to poach Zhou Wen over to his business. Give him a job with a generous wage so that he can treat his mother. On top of that, send a few guards to protect him from the dark so that he can live the rest of his life in peace.”
w.a.n.g Chong instructed.
‘Zhou Wen’ was a ticking bomb. He and the Demonic Emperor Old Man seemed to be linked together by destiny. If w.a.n.g Chong didn’t drive away Zhou Wen, then no matter how many guards he sent, no matter how hard he tried to hinder the two of them from meeting, a lapse in their prevention might still occur somewhere, resulting in the eventual fate of Zhou Wen saving the Demonic Emperor Old Man.
If so, the tragedy from his previous life would replay once more.
The Demonic Emperor Old Man would die after pa.s.sing on all of his strength and the 《Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art》 to Zhou Wen. On the other hand, Zhou Wen’s saving of the Demonic Emperor Old Man would result in the death of his mother, and from there on, Zhou Wen would be forced into the callous and bloodied pugilistic world. Eventually, due to his gentleness, mediocre talent, and lacking battle experience, the very same tragedy would replay…
To some people, this kind of opportunity was something that they craved for, but for the others, it was nothing more than a nightmare!
Zhou Wen wasn’t capable of driving the 《Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art》, and he wasn’t suited for it as well.
Only in w.a.n.g Chong’s hands would it be able to display its full might.
Zhou Wen would be able to obtain what he desired, a peaceful and content life with his mother, and he wouldn’t have to engage in the murder that he abhorred. At the same time, through obtaining the 《Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art》, w.a.n.g Chong would be able to accomplish his mission!
This… was the best arrangement!
Shen Hai was perplexed. Zhou Wen was a filial child, so he could understand why w.a.n.g Chong wanted to help him. However, he couldn’t understand why w.a.n.g Chong would a.s.sign two guards to him.
What in the world did this Zhou Wen possess for the young master to value him so highly?
Shen Hai felt more and more bewildered.
Even so, he agreed to it without any hesitation.
“Yes, young master. I’ll have it done right now!”
Without wasting a word, Shen Hai walked away to complete the task asked of him
After making all of the necessary arrangements, w.a.n.g Chong dived into the carriage and left quietly, not alarming anyone in the surroundings at all.
“Clan head, this is the last superior ore that our Zhang Clan possess! All that are left are of inferior quality. Furthermore, our final mine is about to be dug out in at most three months!”
Just as w.a.n.g Chong was leaving the eastern city, a discussion was going on in the Zhang Clan Residence. A group of the core elders of the Zhang Clan sat in a circle with creases furrowed deeply into their foreheads.
What that was placed before them was the final piece of top quality unprocessed ore they brought over from the mine.
This ore reflected the current circ.u.mstances of the Zhang Clan.
All of their ore mines were about to be dug out, and regarding the sales of their weapon, they also met with the oppression from the Cheng, Lu, Huang, and the other swordsmithing clans. The glorious Zhang Clan was already a thing of the past, and currently, it was already forced up a corner under all of the pressure on them.
If the Zhang Clan wanted to resolve this crisis, they had to find a new large-scale mine. However, how could finding a mine be something easy?
Almost all of the existing mines had an owner, and most of them were in the hands of the other swordsmithing clans.
The Zhang Clan did consider developing a new large-scale mine of their own, but this matter wasn’t as easy as it seemed.
Ores were hidden deep underground, and to accurately locate a mine within the humongous Central Plains was no different from finding a needle in the vast ocean. Furthermore, it was an uncertainty whether there was truly an undiscovered mine out there for them to uncover.
After all, the Central Plains had a long history behind it, and almost all possible locations had already been looked into.
Besides, there were various stringent conditions to the geography for one to successfully develop a mine. Just because there was an ore deposit didn’t mean that one could necessarily mine it.
