315: Chapter 315 I'll Help Her Say It

To be honest, these blueprints were likely just rough sketches; the structures were there, but some detailed parameters were missing.

Perhaps this was also the reason they could fall into the hands of Old Yu's ancestors and survive the catastrophe.

"Put these away; we won't be needing these blueprints for the time being."

To be honest, Lin Xiao felt a chill.

The Xuanji Sect was likely a martial arts sect during the Great Zheng Dynasty; simply put, it was a 'private enterprise'.

When a private enterprise possessed such industrial technology, what level would the craftsmen of the Great Zheng Dynasty's imperial court have been at?

How much of the Great Zheng Dynasty's technology was truly buried?

What was terrifying was that nowadays, throughout Great Gan, it seemed no one knew about this; everyone believed the Great Zheng Dynasty perished because it 'valued literature over martial arts'.

Even someone like Official Xie Tong had only seen the surface.

In other words, these institutional reforms and industrial civilization of the Great Zheng Dynasty, the traces of the efforts made by predecessors, had been wiped clean...

Lin Xiao couldn't help but ask himself: if he continued to develop industry, would it... also attract the 'attention' of the Heavenly Palace?

Could he withstand it?

Even though he had a system, the system was not omnipotent.

If he wasn't absolutely certain, he still had to take it slow.

"This sect... I have to pay a visit..."

Lin Xiao muttered to himself.

Old Yu, standing to the side, couldn't understand at all. "General, what are you talking about? What does this Xuanji Sect have to do with that bunch of superstitious Taoist priests?"

Lin Xiao smiled and didn't explain further.

"Old Yu, is that A-Lian around? Call her over."

Old Yu was stunned. "General, you're still worried, aren't you?"

"No, I just want to see if you two are a good match. If you are, I'll help you out and have her serve you specifically in the future!"

In reality, Lin Xiao was indeed worried, as Old Yu knew too many key technical details of the Zhenbei Army.

But on the surface, he naturally had to consider Old Yu's feelings.

"Hehe... this is quite embarrassing... then please wait a moment!"

Old Yu immediately got excited and ran out to find the mute widow.

"He's over fifty, and he's certainly still quite capable."

Watching the old man's agile figure, Lin Xiao pondered that he should start a 'Northern Matchmaking Service'.

To solve the needs of the single bachelors who needed it.

After all, a harmonious family leads to success in everything!

Not long after, Old Yu brought a nervous and pretty widow to the door.

The widow was wearing coarse cloth clothes, but her skin was fair, she was quite pretty, and she possessed a temperament that made people want to protect her.

Yet her figure was fully mature, which was extremely tempting for an older man.

"A-Lian, this is General Lin. Quickly, pay your respects to the General!"

A-Lian hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed to Lin Xiao, looking incredibly nervous.

Lin Xiao wore a smile, but in his heart, a trace of killing intent had already emerged...

[A-Lian (real name Xuezhi), 37 years old, Qinhuai Pavilion secret agent, Aptitude: yellow grade]

[Ancestral home: Huaizhou, Marital status: Unmarried]

[Tags: Spy, Disguise Artist, Dancer]

Qinhuai Pavilion? Huaizhou?

If Lin Xiao remembered correctly, this should be in the Eastern Territory.

Prince of Donghai, Zhao Wugou? This guy actually sent a spy to Cang Province!?

"Old Yu, I'm going to ask A-Lian some questions now. Stay by the side and don't interrupt."

"Questions? General, she's a mute!"

"Don't interrupt!" Lin Xiao warned.

Old Yu was taken aback, realizing that the situation was not quite right, so he nodded.

A-Lian looked helpless and pitiful, her face full of tension.

"Your Disguise Technique is well-practiced."

Lin Xiao said expressionlessly, "Did you kill the real A-Lian?"

A-Lian looked puzzled and gestured with her hands, indicating she didn't understand.

"Your hometown is in Huaizhou, right?"

A-Lian shook her head.

"Your real name is Xuezhi."

A-Lian's face turned pale, and cold sweat gradually began to drip down.

"Qinhuai Pavilion... your reach is quite long. What do you want to get from me?"

A-Lian looked at Old Yu with a pitiful expression, shaking her head helplessly, trying to ask Old Yu to help explain.

Old Yu's expression changed a few times, and he sighed...

"So... you really are a spy."

"Mmm! Mmm! Mmm!!" A-Lian hurriedly shook her head.

Old Yu said, "No need to pretend. Actually, I had already noticed that your hands don't look like someone who has been doing manual labor for years."

"I just thought you might have been naturally beautiful, and since Madam Su checked your information and said there were no issues, I didn't take it too seriously."

"But since General Lin says you used Disguise Technique, then it makes sense."

"Sigh... I should have known, why would a pretty widow show interest in an old man like me?"

Seeing that she couldn't keep up the act, a cold glint flashed in Xuezhi's eyes. She pulled out a grey, dusty ball and smashed it on the ground.

"Bang!"

A cloud of smoke erupted, and taking advantage of the obscured vision, she turned and ran.

But in front of Lin Xiao, such tricks were naturally meaningless.

Lin Xiao waved his hand, a strong wind blew away the smoke, and he flicked a burst of true energy, which directly pierced through Xuezhi's pelvis!

Xuezhi screamed in pain, fell to the ground, and broke out in a cold sweat.

The commotion here caused several Zhenbei Army soldiers who were lying in ambush nearby to rush over.

"Search her!"

Soon, several poison darts and three grey balls were found on Xuezhi.

Lin Xiao took them and looked, feeling a bit surprised:

[Shuriken: A hidden weapon commonly used by Japanese warriors.]

[Smoke bomb: A prop commonly used by Japanese secret agents.]

Old Yu, who was standing to the side, walked over and actually recognized them too.

"Isn't this the stuff the Japanese usually use? Damn it, why use such trashy Japanese hidden weapons when there are better ones available!"

Old Yu cursed, "Thanks to General Lin coming by, otherwise my reputation as an old man would have been completely ruined!"

Lin Xiao asked curiously, "You've seen these before?"

"I've seen them. More than a decade ago, the Japanese came to the capital to pay tribute to the Emperor and even asked us to teach them some techniques."

"I wasn't willing; looking at their shifty eyes, they clearly weren't good people."

"I have a few craftsman acquaintances who showed me these pieces of junk; they can't compare to our hidden weapons."

Old Yu frowned and said, "Come to think of it, the Japanese have been at sea all these years, plundering our Great Gan merchant ships, harassing fishermen, and raiding fishing villages."

"The Prince of East Sea asked the imperial court for a lot of silver to kill the Japanese pirates; how is it that there are still people using Japanese hidden weapons right under his nose?"

When Old Yu said this, he slapped his thigh hard: "General! This Prince of East Sea is suspicious!"

Lin Xiao sneered. He was just worrying about having nowhere to deploy his 200,000-strong army after the New Year; wasn't this perfect?

"Take this woman back and interrogate her under torture!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xuezhi sneered, "You want to get information out of this girl... forget it!"

After saying that, she bit off her own tongue!

"General! She bit her tongue off!"

Xuezhi's mouth was full of blood, and she wore a look of crazy triumph, as if that tongue wasn't hers.

"Ouch, that's ruthless? She's a death soldier!"

Old Yu was startled and felt lucky that he hadn't actually done anything with this woman.

Lin Xiao looked calm: "No matter. Take her back and continue the interrogation. If she won't talk, we'll speak for her!"

"The Prince of East Sea and Qinhuai Pavilion are colluding with Japanese pirates to steal military secrets of Great Gan. I will report this to the imperial court and launch a punitive expedition against the Eastern Territory."

"Whether you are Xuezhi or A-Lian, whether you like it or not, you will be this traitor!!"

Upon hearing this, the smile on Xuezhi's face froze instantly. She shook her head frantically, her eyes filled with unwillingness, panic, and anger!!

"Ah!..."

Amidst the wailing, the woman was escorted away.