84: Attack from all sides

Wu Jiulong’s aged fingers stroked his silver beard, as phoenix tree leaves outside the window swirled down beside the inkstone.

The old man dipped his finger in tea and drew a map of Great Liang’s territory on the sandalwood table, a sharp glint flickering in his cloudy eyes: “The White Lotus Sect lost a hundred thousand troops this time, I’m afraid…”

“They won’t get a chance to retaliate.” Wu Guohua suddenly crushed the teacup in his hand, the ceramic shards turning to dust between his fingers.

The setting sun streamed through the window lattice, casting dappled light and shadow on his sharply defined profile. “Issue the order: at Chen Shi tomorrow, the five armies will attack simultaneously!”

At dawn, the parade ground in Qinglin County was filled with fluttering banners. Fifty thousand elite soldiers were arrayed in formations according to the Five Elements, each warrior’s armor polished to a gleam, and the purple potato bags hanging from their waists swayed gently in the morning breeze.

Wu Guohua stood on the general’s platform, behind him a sand table that had been hastily constructed overnight—it was covered with small flags representing various prefectures, seventeen of which were already stained red.

“The Qian Battalion will spearhead the attack on Baihe Prefecture, collecting all medicinal texts along the way!”

“The Kun Battalion is responsible for clearing the official roads; any White Lotus demon encountered shall be killed without mercy!”

“The Zhen Battalion will focus on searching for martial arts Secret Manuals from various sects, especially Internal Skill Mind-Cultivation Techniques!”

With each military order issued, a battalion of soldiers would kneel on one knee to receive their command. Most striking was the newly formed “Treasure-Seeking Battalion”—

This special unit, composed of pharmacists, blacksmiths, and ancient text scholars, was solely responsible for identifying rare treasures and exotic artifacts collected from various places.

As the first ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds, the five armies poured out of the city gates like celestial maidens scattering flowers. The sound of iron hooves crushing the morning frost echoed for a long time, startling flocks of rooks.

On this day of Frost’s Descent in the twenty-second year of Great Liang Dezheng, Wu Guohua inspected the medicinal fields alone. The late autumn dew dampened his deerskin boots, and the air between the furrows was filled with the fresh scent of earth mixed with spiritual plants.

Suddenly, his pupils contracted—at the easternmost end of the thirty-seventh furrow, a potato seedling’s leaf edges bore extremely faint golden patterns, almost blending with the morning light if not examined closely.

“This is…” The keen intuition of a High Grade Grandmaster made his heart pound.

Wu Guohua slowly squatted down, a wisp of True Qi condensing on his fingertip as he gently stroked the leaf. The golden patterns actually wriggled slightly like living things, blooming with an even more dazzling light the moment they were touched.

He took a deep breath and took out a specially made Jade Shovel from his waist. His digging motions were as gentle as unswaddling a baby; each scoop required a three-breath pause.

When the shovel tip touched something hard for the third time, fine sweat had already beaded on Wu Guohua’s forehead.

The moment the soil peeled away, a purplish-gold light burst forth.

This potato, no bigger than a fist, was entirely translucent like jade, and the natural patterns on its surface actually formed a complete Meridians map!

Even more miraculously, the fresh scent it emitted the moment it was unearthed caused the weeds within ten feet around it to grow wildly.

“Discovered a First Grade High Grade Spirit Potato, experience +200.”

“First Grade High Grade Spirit Potato: Three-month growth cycle, rich in Spiritual Qi.”

“First Grade High Grade…” Wu Guohua’s voice trembled slightly.

He subconsciously glanced around, and after confirming no one was present, he quickly placed the spiritual potato into his close-fitting cold Jade Slip box. Before the jade box closed, those flowing golden patterns even wrapped around his fingertip like living creatures.

The Wu Family secret chamber was brightly lit at Zi Shi. Seven mermaid oil lamps were arranged according to the Big Dipper constellation, their flames emitting a strange bluish-white light.

In the center of the jade table, the purplish-gold spiritual potato glowed with a dreamlike halo under the lamplight, its surface patterns sometimes resembling the movement of a star river, and sometimes human Meridians.

Wu Jiulong’s withered fingers traced an inch above the spiritual potato, his True Qi causing the golden patterns to writhe like small snakes: “How marvelous! The purity of the Spiritual Qi contained within this object is too strong.”

Wu Wenbin, holding the “Hundred Herbs Compendium,” suddenly slapped the table: “Look at this passage—‘Purple patterns, golden veins, blessed by earth spirits, consuming it can open the Ren and Du Meridians’! Could this be the legendary…”

“Silence!” Wu Guohua suddenly threw out three copper coins, nailing them into three hidden corners of the secret chamber. Where the coins landed, a faint “squeaking” sound was heard—three almost transparent gecko-like creatures fell from the beam.

Wu Wenbin gasped: “Shadow Lizards from the Listening Wind Tower?”

“More than that.” Wu Guohua sneered, crushing the still twitching strange beast with his foot. “In the past month, twenty-seven new shops have appeared in the county, and eight of their shopkeepers have calluses on their tiger mouths;

The new zither player at the pleasure house in the south of the city always secretly records the city defense duty roster when tuning her strings; even the farmers who deliver vegetables to us have communication Jade Slips tucked into their waists…”

Suddenly, there was a faint clatter of tiles outside the window. Wu Guohua’s figure flickered, and when he returned, his fingertips were stained with fresh blood: “That’s the seventh one.”

He wiped his hands and said indifferently, “The court’s Xuan Eagle Guards, the White Lotus Sect’s Blood Bat spies, and several dead men sent by aristocratic families…”

The market the next morning was three times livelier than usual. Amidst the hawking, an old man selling sugar figures skillfully kneaded dough figures, but the corner of his eye constantly watched the county yamen’s direction;

On the second floor of the silk shop, a man dressed as a wealthy merchant was observing the military camp with a thousand-mile mirror; even the copper coins in the street beggar’s broken bowl were engraved with tiny runes.

In the teahouse, the storyteller was at an exciting point: “Speaking of how the Qinglin County Marquis defeated the Blood Hand Human Butcher with one spear…” In a corner, several young men dressed as scholars exchanged glances, and one of them slid a recording Jade Slip from his sleeve.

The first snow of early winter arrived silently but was exceptionally biting. Tiny snowflakes danced in the lead-gray sky, falling on the green tiles of Wu Family Fort, making a faint rustling sound.

Wu Guohua stood by the study window, his fingertips gently stroking the frost condensed on the window lattice, his gaze piercing through the swirling snow curtain, looking at the slowly moving black dots on the distant official road.

“They’re here,” he said softly, his voice deep like a beast hibernating in winter.

The butler, Li Laotong, stood bowing to the side, a few unmelted snowflakes clinging to his grizzled eyebrows: “Marquis, it’s the Third Prince’s people.”

Wu Guohua nodded slightly, then turned and walked towards the purple sandalwood table in the center of the study. On the table was a set of celadon tea ware, the tea steaming gently.

He picked up the teacup, feeling the warmth of the porcelain transfer to his palm, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

“Prepare tea, welcome the guests.”

By the time the Third Prince’s envoy stepped through the gates of Wu Family Fort, the snow had grown heavy. The newcomer was dressed in a dark green brocade robe, covered by a silver fox fur cloak, and the jade belt at his waist gleamed softly in the snow light.

Most striking was the ivory-boned fan in his hand, which he refused to put away even in this icy weather. The fan surface depicted an exquisite landscape painting, swaying gently with his steps.

“Mr. Wen, you’ve traveled a long way; it must have been arduous.” Wu Guohua rose to greet him, his voice carrying just the right amount of warmth.

Mr. Wen cupped his hands in a salute, a flawless smile on his face: “Wu Marquis, you are too kind. The Third Prince often says that the Wu Family has been loyal for generations, a pillar of the nation, and seeing it today, it truly lives up to its reputation.”

The two took their seats as host and guest, and a maid silently served hot tea. Mr. Wen took the teacup but did not rush to drink, instead using his ivory fan to gently tap the tabletop, producing a crisp sound.

“County Marquis, please be advised,” Mr. Wen said with a cordial smile, a shrewd glint in his eyes, “The Third Prince is willing to offer the taxes from three prefectures, only requesting the Wu Family Army’s assistance.”