The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

Chapter 239: Identity in doubt

Tong Tai breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Gan Jiu say that Yu Sheng was fine.

"Where are you going?" Tong Tai looked at Gan Jiu's hurried look and asked puzzledly.

"Master Qian has fainted. I'm going to Qingfeng Temple to ask Taoist Jiyue to come and treat him."

Tong Tai was stunned after hearing Gan Jiu's words, and then he remembered that Mr. Qian Si was a disabled and half-paralyzed man. He was very capable, but his health was not very good.

"Well, go ahead. Do you want to take two people with you?"

At this time, anyone in the Qian family can die, but only Fourth Master Qian cannot die.

He was one of the masterminds behind the Qian family's collusion with foreign races and secret communications with enemy countries, and we had to rely on his testimony to bring down Qian Wanhe.

If Mr. Qian Si died at this time, things would become troublesome later.

So Tong Tai had no choice but to take this matter seriously.

"No need. Qingfeng Temple is not far from here. I'll be back soon." After Gan Jiu said this, he left in a hurry without any delay.

Tong Tai looked at Gan Jiu's back until he disappeared. Then he withdrew his gaze and went to the courtyard where Master Qian Si lived.

When he entered the yard, Tong Tai saw two people lying on the ground and Yu Sheng sitting motionless beside them.

Seeing Yu Sheng sitting still, Tong Tai hurried over and asked, "Yu Sheng, are you injured?"

"No." Yu Sheng shook his head. The fight with Moye just now consumed too much of his physical strength and energy. He now needs a good rest.

"I'm just tired and need a break."

Yu Sheng looked down at Fourth Master Qian lying next to her and said, "Have someone carry him into the house. He's an extremely delicate creature, and we have to take good care of him."

Tong Tai also looked down at Fourth Master Qian lying on the ground. He really wanted to slap him to death, but at this moment he not only couldn't do that, but also had to be careful not to hurt him.

Who can understand the helplessness and frustration in Tong Tai’s heart at this moment?

Well, I'll just endure the humiliation for the sake of the greater good. When it's all over, I'll ask him for it back.

Thinking of this, Tong Tai walked up with an unhappy look as if he had eaten a fly and picked up Mr. Qian Si.

Due to being unable to walk for a long time and taking medicine, Mr. Qian Si, an adult, weighs not much more than a child.

Tong Tai could almost lift him up with one hand.

After dragging Fourth Master Qian back to his room and placing him on the bed, Tong Tai came out and looked at Mo Xie lying on the other side and asked, "What should we do with this person?"

"This man is called Mo Xie, and he's a guard beside Fourth Master Qian. His martial arts skills are comparable to mine. Let's lock him up first."

"If it can be used by us, then keep it. If not, then we can only discard it."

Although Yu Sheng admires Moye as a hero appreciates a hero, if Moye cannot be used by them and instead becomes a threat, Yu Sheng will never keep him.

"Come here, both of you, carry the man down and lock him up." Tong Tai pointed at two guards not far away and ordered.

The guards who received the order immediately came forward and took Moye away.

"Go to the room and find the military token. The Qian family seems to be stationed in some desolate mountain, and they seem to have troops stationed there."

Yu Sheng didn't know yet that the Qian family had stationed a large number of private soldiers in the barren mountains, but he had already keenly realized that this matter was not simple.

Tong Tai became excited when he heard the word "military token". He was worried about this matter. With the military token in hand, he would not be afraid that those people in the desolate mountain would be disobedient.

Looking at Tong Tai who disappeared from her sight in the blink of an eye, Yu Sheng was unable to react for a moment.

Tong Tai rummaged through the drawers and cabinets in the room and finally found the military token he had been longing for on the ground.

"Yu Sheng, with this, we don't have to be afraid of anything now." Tong Tai shook the military token in his hand and said proudly to Yu Sheng.

"How many people are there in that barren mountain?" Seeing Tong Tai's smug look, Yu Sheng realized the seriousness of the problem without asking.

"I don't know the exact amount, but it won't be less than 100,000 at least." Tong Tai's tone began to show a hint of excitement.

Even if only half of the 100,000 troops survive, the remaining half can be added to the army and play a great role when needed in the future.

A hundred thousand troops? Yu Sheng raised an eyebrow. Another hundred thousand troops? No wonder Tong Tai was so excited.

These royal relatives and provincial governors now really do not take the imperial power seriously at all. They dare to raise private soldiers at any time, and each time they raise hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

It seems that the eldest lady's decision to rectify the government is absolutely correct. If those people are not allowed to experience the majesty of the imperial power, I am afraid that the Yunli Kingdom will really fall apart.

"Let's go back and discuss this matter with Second Master first, and then make a decision."

Yu Sheng looked at Tong Tai's excited expression and was really afraid that he would lead his men to rush over.

Tong Tai rolled his eyes at Yu Sheng in dissatisfaction, "Boy, am I such a tactless person?"

"Yes, that's right." Yu Sheng answered without giving Tong Tai any face.

Tong Tai was so angry that he rolled his eyes to the sky.

Fuping was still far away from Pingzhou City. Wang Zongyuan led his troops to travel day and night, and it took them a day and a night to finally arrive.

When they were in a valley dozens of miles away from Fuping City, Wang Zongyuan ordered the entire army to stop advancing and stay there to rest and eat.

The soldiers traveled for a whole day and night, and except for a short stop to eat something, they had no rest.

People are not made of iron. In their current state of exhaustion, hunger and thirst, the soldiers are unable to go out to fight.

Only after these soldiers have eaten and drunk enough and rested well, can they regain their tiger-like vigor and defeat the enemy in one fell swoop.

The soldiers can rest and eat, but Wang Zongyuan, the commander-in-chief, cannot. He is staring at the map in front of him, thinking about where to start so as to achieve the greatest victory at the cost of the least casualties.

While Wang Zongyuan was pondering, his deputy general reported, "General, General He Chaohe is here."

"Ah!" Wang Zongyuan raised his head, somewhat unable to believe what he heard.

"He Chao is here, so soon?"

Wang Zongyuan took the main road, while He Chao and his soldiers took a shortcut, so although He Chao left later than Wang Zongyuan, the two of them arrived at the same time.

"What's the matter, you old thing, you don't welcome me here?"

As soon as Wang Zongyuan finished speaking, He Chao came in uninvited.

Seeing his brother whom he hadn't seen for many years, Wang Zongyuan was speechless and didn't know what to say.

He Chao stepped forward, patted Wang Zongyuan on the shoulder, and said, "Old man, here comes Old He."

"Good that you're here, good that you're here." Wang Zongyuan sniffed. He was really old now and couldn't bear to see such a scene of meeting old friends.

"Go, arrange for the people brought by Lao He to rest and eat, and give them the best meals."

He Chao chuckled, "What's the matter? Are you worried that our old He will come, so you didn't bring any food or drinks?"

"Don't bother. I only brought two of my personal followers with me. The main army has already headed for the mine."

He Chao was good at fighting mountain battles, so he did not bring his soldiers to meet Wang Zongyuan. Instead, based on past experience, he asked his deputy general to lead the soldiers to surround the mountain.

Since ancient times, speed is of the essence in wars, and surprise is the key to success or failure.

"Old buddy, you're really quick." Seeing He Chao coming, Wang Zongyuan's uneasiness was mostly gone.

In fact, Wang Zongyuan was very unsure about the surprise attack on Fuping. The only information he had was that there was an iron mine in Fuping, which was mixed with the army, local officials and civilians.

That was all; he knew nothing else.

Asking him to lead troops to attack a place where he knows nothing, even if he is a veteran, he will inevitably have doubts in his heart.

Once this war begins, it means there will be casualties. He must win the greatest victory at the lowest cost, and he must be responsible for the soldiers under his command.

We cannot let their sacrifice be in vain. We must ensure that everyone’s value is reflected while also ensuring their safety.

But now that He Chao was here, it gave him confidence and strength, making him feel that he could still win this battle.

"That's right. Don't be afraid to say it. Old He has never delayed an opportunity to fight a war."

"That old fellow Tong Tai is currently in Pingzhou City helping the Second Young Master clean up the Qian family and Yin Qihui."

"Everything should be almost done by now. Let's hurry up and try to end this battle as soon as possible so we can go back and rejoin them."

"We brothers haven't seen each other for years. We finally got together, so we have to have a good drink."

"Otherwise, I don't know when we'll be able to get together again."

What He Chao didn't say out loud was that they were both old, and each time they saw each other they would see less and less. After this separation, they didn't know if they would have the chance to meet again.

"Okay, let's wait for the soldiers to rest and catch their breath, then we'll set off."

Wang Zongyuan waved his hand and spoke in a very heroic manner.

"Oh, no, let's let the soldiers have a good rest. How can we win the battle without keeping our spirits up?"

He Chao stopped Wang Zongyuan and said, "My men have already gone there. Even if we have to fight, there's no rush now. As long as we surround that mountain, the people inside won't be able to escape even if they have wings."

"Okay, then I'll listen to you. There's no rush. The soldiers have been traveling all the way, and it's really hard."

"Sharpening the knife does not delay the chopping of wood. Only when we have rested and are refreshed can we fight better."

Because we hadn't seen each other for a long time, Wang Zongyuan was in a particularly good mood and was very easy to talk to.

"You haven't eaten yet, right? You can't drink today. Let's have a good meal. Tomorrow morning we will march to Fuping."

He Chao's soldiers did not enter Fuping City, but took a detour and went directly to the mine.

When people arrived, they started to divide the work and cooperate without saying a word. Some defended and some dug traps.

However, everyone cooperated very well. I could only hear the sound of working, but not anyone talking.

Taoist Ji Yue was invited down the mountain by Gan Jiu, and saw that the compound was in chaos and there were casualties.

This knowledgeable Taoist priest didn't even linger and just went his own way.

When Gan Jiu brought people to the courtyard where Mr. Qian Si lived, Yu Sheng had just rested and was waiting for them.

After getting the military order, Tong Tai could no longer contain his excitement and ran back to discuss the attack on the barren mountain with Shen Tingzhi.

"This is Taoist Ji Yue." Gan Jiu brought Taoist Ji Yue to Yu Sheng and introduced him to him.

Yu Sheng nodded and said, "Thank you for the trip, Taoist Priest. I'd also like to trouble you to treat Fourth Master Qian."

"Yeah." Taoist Ji Yue nodded, and without waiting for Yu Sheng to say anything else, he went straight into the house.

Yu Sheng looked at Taoist Jiyue's back and asked, "Isn't Taoist Jiyue a little too young? Are you sure he's the one who's usually in charge of treating Fourth Master Qian's health?"

"It's definitely him." Gan Jiu was the one who found the person, how could he have made a mistake?

"Don't underestimate him because of his young age. He's a skilled doctor. Back then, Fourth Master Qian was on the verge of death, but he was saved by his miraculous hands."

"It shouldn't be a big deal this time. I think everything will be fine."

Yu Sheng looked around the room again in confusion. It was not that he did not believe Gan Jiu's words, but this Taoist Ji Yue was really too young.

He didn't have the immortal look as imagined by many people, but he looked quite steady. However, Yu Sheng felt that something was wrong.

I heard that this Taoist priest Ji Yue is already the abbot of Qingfeng Temple, but he looks like a young man in his early twenties at most.

He became the abbot at such a young age, either because he was gifted and had extraordinary qualities that could convince others.

Or there is some other hidden secret behind this.

Also, he had just seen that Taoist Ji Yue had an extraordinary temperament, an elegant posture, and sharp eyes. He did not look like a cultivator.

He seemed like a natural aristocrat, like a young man from a prominent family like his second son.

Thinking of this, Yu Sheng turned around and looked at Gan Jiu and said, "You go in and take a look. If Fourth Master Qian's condition stabilizes, we'll have to trouble Taoist Ji Yue to go back with us."

"Before the Qian family's affairs are resolved, I'm afraid that even Taoist Jiyue will follow."

Yu Sheng's unusually sharp intuition made him feel that Taoist Ji Yue was a dangerous person.

Yu Sheng would always feel uneasy if she didn't keep him by her side.

"It may not be easy to get Taoist Jiyue to go back with us, let alone let him stay with Fourth Master Qian until this matter is over."

Gan Jiu looked at Yu Sheng with some embarrassment. After all, Taoist Ji Yue was an outsider. He usually didn't even leave the Taoist temple. He was devoted to Taoism and didn't care about worldly affairs.

It was all just a coincidence that I was able to find him and get him to agree to treat Mr. Qian Si.

It would be too difficult for him to leave the Taoist temple and enter the secular world now.