Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 26

A middle-aged man, riding a scraggly horse, waved and approached him.

"Who is your Excellency?"

The other person had bright, piercing eyes, rough skin, and strong finger joints. What was most striking was his chivalrous air that immediately won people over; he was definitely not some nobody.

Out of caution, Lu Wei did not secretly use his internal energy to test the strength of the other party's internal energy; it would be bad if he were discovered.

"I am Tian Guang, a wandering knight from the State of Yan."

Tian Guang raised his thick eyebrows, a hearty smile on his face: "Tian Guang has always enjoyed making friends, and it is fate that I meet you today, young brother."

"I see that you are also heading towards the State of Qi. How about we travel together for a while?"

"..." Upon hearing this name, the guard in my heart suddenly relaxed, but the tension was still at its peak:

Tian Guang—he was quite familiar with that name!

The leader of the Farmer's Heroes, the organizer of the Azure Dragon Project in the Yan Kingdom!

Logically speaking, he shouldn't know what this name represents, and since Tian Guang also came from Jicheng, it's impossible for him not to know who he is.

Thinking about it this way, Tian Guang's intention to search for her without revealing his identity becomes obvious.

"I see that Brother Tian Guang has an extraordinary presence. Since he is willing to travel with me, Lu Wei is naturally willing!"

Since the other party wants to act, then I'll just play along.

Who told me that my ambitions have grown even more bloated after I subdued Luqiu Pavilion? Even though I haven't secured the position of leader of Gonggong Hall yet, I'm already eyeing your position as the chief of the chivalrous sects.

"Haha, you're a straightforward guy!"

Tian Guang rode alongside Lu Wei, his eyes fixed on the three-star pearl grass on Lu Wei's chest, and asked curiously:

"Brother Lu, are you from a farming family?"

"Indeed, I am a disciple of Gonggong Hall. May I ask which hero Brother Tian Guang belongs to?"

"I am but a wandering knight-errant, not a hero."

Tian Guang stopped there, casually changing the subject to the scenery of various places in Yan. Both of them had their own thoughts, but they were also knowledgeable people. They chatted happily for a while.

Tian Guang had actually arrived in Jicheng half a month ago. Since then, he had been investigating the situation of Luqiu Pavilion and accurately grasped the details of how the Lu brothers took power.

Tian Guang did not comment on the other party's methods, but it was a fact that Luqiu Pavilion was not in chaos and the number of disciples of the Jicheng Farmer's School continued to expand.

Seeing this, Tian Guang felt there was no need for him to intervene, so he let them continue to do as they pleased.

As the leader of the Farmer's Clan, he only ever kept tabs on the changing fortunes within the clan and never interfered unless there were special circumstances.

Even regarding the most serious issue within the farming family right now—the conflict between the Tian family and other families—he cannot give a clear answer.

Tian Guang's surname is Tian, ​​and he is related to Tian Meng and Tian Hu. Logically, he should help the Tian family take power, which would be in the family's best interest.

However, on the other hand, he was also a chivalrous leader among farmers!

The entire farming family was his subordinate. Whether they were surnamed Tian or not, if either side suffered losses, his own interests would also suffer.

Even if it wasn't for the sake of the farmers' prosperity, but simply to ensure that his own power remained unaffected, Tian Guang couldn't blindly favor the Tian brothers.

Therefore, he secretly and carefully divided the various factions:

Let Shennong Hall expand to the State of Chu, Gonggong Hall expand to the State of Yan, and Siyue Hall expand to the State of Wei.

In the Qi state itself, only the Lieshan Hall and Chiyou Hall of the Tian brothers and the Kuiwei Hall of someone from another family remained.

The three branches of the clan each occupied a territory in their own country, while the local branches were occupied by Tian Youmenghu and the brothers Chen Sheng and Wu Kuang, who clashed with each other, but no major problems arose.

If the Kuiwei Hall cannot withstand the conflict between the Lieshan Hall and the Chiyou Hall, then the Chen and Wu brothers have other plans...

Chapter 36 Gonggong Hall

Traveling with Tian Guang for a long time, the two men and two horses arrived at a small border town between Yan and Qi, and surprisingly they did not encounter a single thief who tried to stop them along the way.

This disappointed Lu Wei somewhat, as he had hoped to improve Tian Guang's favorability.

Throughout the entire trip, apart from pointing out the three-star pearl grass hanging on his body at the beginning, Tian Guang never mentioned farm matters again.

Lu Wei originally thought that since the chivalrous leader had come to him in disguise, he would definitely ask him for his views on the situation of the peasants and even the general trend of the world. Then he would recite the words he had prepared in advance and win Tian Guang's approval.

It turned out that Lu Wei had completely overthought things...

Their conversation covered a wide range of topics, including mountains and rivers, horses, taverns in Jicheng, and even how to roast a pheasant perfectly.

They're all about romance and everyday life.

This is certainly interesting, after all, Tian Guang has traveled to seven countries and can talk about anything.

However, this would render Lu Wei's plan futile.

We've entered the Qi Realm!

Having just crossed the border checkpoint, Tian Guang stretched lazily atop his scraggly horse. He glanced at Lu Wei beside him, his thick eyebrows twitching slightly.

"In the State of Yan, I am the wandering knight Tian Guang. In the State of Qi, what should you call me, young brother?"

His sudden words, coupled with his mocking expression, startled Lu Wei, causing his mind to freeze for two seconds: "Chief of Knights."

"Not bad!" Tian Guang laughed heartily, spurring his horse to take the lead over Lu Wei. "You recognized me from the very beginning, didn't you?"

"...Yes," Lu Wei forced back his panic. He didn't know where he had given himself away... He had concealed his emotions perfectly when they first met...

"You're quite clever." Tian Guang turned his head back to look ahead, his tone becoming serious: "Don't think about it. Your expression and words have been flawless the whole way, but I am Tian Guang, the leader of the Farmer's Clan!"

"Logically speaking, you shouldn't know me, let alone have any way of knowing my name... But I won't press you on that point."

"No scheme is without flaws and will remain undetected. For some, intuition is their secret weapon for survival. Falsehoods are ultimately falsehoods."

"Thank you for your guidance, Xia Kui!" Lu Wei stared at Tian Guang's back, his heart pounding when the other said "However," "You're reckless, kid."

The atmosphere became awkward, but Tian Guang seemed to enjoy talking, so he took the initiative to start a conversation: "Do you know why I've been traveling with you all this way?"

"Is it... because of what I did at Luqiu Pavilion?"

Now that Xia Kui had revealed his little tricks on the road, Lu Wei simply told the truth as well.

Tian Guang is among the world's top talents in terms of both strength and experience. Trying to hide it under these circumstances will only make him a laughingstock.

"Those methods of Luqiu Pavilion?" Tian Guang shook his head: "That's not my concern. I just want to see what kind of person you, Lu Wei, are."

"The leader of the knights did not inquire about his disciple's farming affairs during the journey..."

"Inquiring about farming matters? Haha," Tian Guang laughed, slowing his horse down. "The affairs of farmers, and indeed the affairs of the world, will not change in our conversation."

"Besides, I don't care about anyone's opinion on this, so why force you to discuss it?"

"..." Lu Wei could only clasp his hands in a fist again, not knowing what to say.

"Zhou Chu is Zhou He's cousin. You've imprisoned him. Have you thought about how you're going to explain this to Zhou He?"

Near the end, Tian Guang finally asked him a question about farming.

Lu Wei came to his senses, thought for a moment, and replied, "Tian Zhong forced Zhou Zhang to leave the Farmer's Family, and he also did not give Zhou Hetang Master an explanation."

“Tian Zhong is not the same as you, but it’s good that you understand this matter. Now you can go to Daze Mountain on your own.”

He stopped his scraggly horse and gestured for Lu Wei to go first.

"Yes!" Lu Wei didn't ask any more questions. As the leader of the chivalrous sect, Tian Guang would naturally have many things to arrange in advance before the Autumn Harvest Festival.

The two parted ways, and their next meeting was at the autumn harvest festival.

------

The competition for the position of successor to the Gonggong Hall Master has reached a fever pitch.

With the support of the Tian family and his own abilities, Tian Zhong firmly suppressed Xu Qiu, who was favored by Zhou He.

Xu Qiu was a wealthy merchant from the Yan Kingdom. He did not have the courage to fight to the death, but he believed that with Zhou He's support, he had a high chance of success in his bid for the position of hall master.

Even in defeat, he could calmly and gracefully retreat to Jicheng and continue as the head of Luqiu Pavilion.

Therefore, they always left themselves an out and did not resist Tian Zhong so fiercely.

Xu Qiu's cunning in the business world is unlikely to be effective against Tian Zhong's unscrupulous methods.

He could easily manage the farmers at Luqiu Pavilion, but he couldn't stand up to Tian Zhong alone.

His only son, Xu Sheng, had his right hand severed during a caravan trip, and his internal meridians were also disrupted. He had to overcome the obstacle of being right-handed and start training from scratch again.

This made Xu Qiu even more hesitant, as he would need to spend extra time taking care of Xu Sheng's condition.

Zhou He's disappointment with him began to accumulate. Theoretically, Zhou He could still forcibly designate Xu Qiu as his successor, but his ability was clearly insufficient to lead the entire Gonggong Hall. He had to make a decision that was worthy of the peasant family!

If Xu Qiu still cannot make any changes, then even if it's disgusting... the position of hall master will have to be handed over to Tian Zhong.

Thinking of that situation, Zhou He became agitated and irritable. His right index finger tapped rhythmically on the armrest of his chair. Just then, a disciple entered to report:

Lu Wei, from the Yan Kingdom, carrying a court document, wished to pay him a visit.

Lu Wei—although more than half a year has passed, Zhou He still remembers this name.

"Let him in."

A short while later, a tall young man walked in respectfully. Zhou He became interested in the young man at first glance: eyes are a window into a person's outward appearance.

The depths of Lu Wei's eyes are not as innocent as his appearance suggests.

"How is your administration of the Yan Kingdom going?"

"Reporting to the Hall Master..."

Lu Wei, in a steady voice, briefly recounted how he had handled the matter of discovering corruption among the higher-ups of Luqiu Pavilion. When he mentioned that Zhou Chu had been imprisoned by him, Zhou He's eyes instantly sharpened.

Feeling the sharp gaze, Lu Wei remained calm and continued to explain his arrangements. After finishing, Lu Wei clasped his hands in a fist salute, awaiting Zhou He's instructions.

After a thirteen-second silence, he said, “After the Autumn Harvest Festival, send Zhou Chu to Daze Mountain.”

"The disciple understands."

Lu Wei lowered his eyes and left the main hall.

Sure enough, for this Master Zhou, as long as there's a legitimate reason, you can do whatever you want.

This is what Confucian classics mean when they say: "A gentleman can be deceived by his principles!"

However, this means that Master Zhou's impression of himself is probably not good now: his methods are easily reminiscent of Tian Zhong's behavior.