Chapter 155: Soldier Release? (Additional update for new and old alliance leaders)

"Escaping, everyone was very annoyed, but General Lu didn't take it to heart. Ten or so people took advantage of his drunkenness to mutiny and seize power, but they didn't succeed, and their end was quite miserable." The prisoner swallowed, "General Lu is at the end of his rope; perhaps there are brothers who will support him to the end, but I, I don't want to die." "A dog of a lost family!" Zhao Qinghai kicked him, "Report the itinerary of Lu Yao and other rebels after escaping Wuling Pass to my lord."

The prisoner bowed his head, "Begging Lord He for mercy!" He obediently told all the intelligence.

The He Chunhua father and sons learned that after Wuling Pass was recaptured by the Yuan Royal Court, the rebel army lost its backbone, and seven or eight people fled with their remaining troops. Lu Yao being able to gather over a thousand people was already the result of one annexation. He responded to Pei Xinyu's initiative to rendezvous at County Magistrate Village, naturally wanting to seize the position of commander-in-chief, then go to the area near Shuitou in the west to occupy a piece of land and slowly grow strong.

He Lingchuan's doubts didn't decrease, "Then how is that different from Wu Shaoyi's original intention?" Lu Yao laughed at Wu Shaoyi for only wanting to be a local king, but didn't he also only intend to occupy a mountain and be king? "It's different." The prisoner explained, "General Lu hopes to use Shuitou as a base and slowly swallow the surrounding counties. He determined that the Yuan Nation is weak and has to deal with the troubles in the north, so its control over the west is bound to be loose. We—no, he—has a great chance. By then, his prestige will be high, and the Yuan Royal Court won't be able to deny it, and might even have to confer titles and beg us to send troops."

"Maybe, maybe he can even be crowned king or marquis and be granted the Nine Bestowals." He said dryly, "General Lu said that many powerful figures in the past built their careers this way."

He Chunhua couldn't help but sneer, "Granted the Nine Bestowals, does he deserve it?"

The father and sons understood that Lu Yao was playing the idea of partitioning a side and forcing the central government.

In fact, Lu Yao saw clearly that when the national fortune is declining, local powerful figures often rise, having soldiers and grain, their power increasing rapidly, forming a relationship of growth and decline with the central government. When the latter is unable to move them, they can only soothe them with good words, either giving them a name or giving them rewards. Even then, they might not be satisfied, and if their hearts itch, they might establish a country and call themselves king.

He Yue nodded, "Like Lu Yao, once such a person has tasted the taste of power, they can never go back and can only walk to the end of the road."

He Lingchuan patted the wooden pier, "This guy is truly lawless."

He Chunhua looked at him. Why did this kid's tone sound like he had two parts envy?

The prisoner added, "Actually, after meeting the Prefect in County Magistrate Village, General Lu was overjoyed, intending to seize your seal and State Decree, and go to Xia Province to be the Superintendent himself."

When this was said, the father and sons were all taken aback. He Yue said with disdain, "Delusional, primordial energy is granted by the monarch; where would he get the blessing?"

The prisoner hesitated, "General Lu said he had his own ways to seize Lord He's eight characters and identity, so as to replace his official position and use primordial energy." Seeing the expressions of He Chunhua and

He Lingchuan slapped the wooden stump. "No wonder Lu Yao pursued us so relentlessly, as if we had burned down his entire family's home—it turns out he harbored the ambition of a monkey wearing a crown!"

It turned out that from the moment they entered County Magistrate Village, Lu Yao had been targeting his father; He Yue felt a lingering fear in his heart.

Zhao Qinghe urged the prisoner from the side: "What else? Tell the Lord again everything you said about the Holy Master!"

The prisoner asked for a cup of clear water, moistened his cracked lips, and then said: "We don't know the true process of this Holy Master business either. But before Tianwang Mound was breached, the Holy Master summoned General Lu over for a secret talk."

Tianwang Mound was the rebel army's final fortress at Woling Pass, as solid as a golden cauldron. He Chunhua had read the battle reports and knew that the Royal Court's army had paid a great price to capture it.

"The four or five people General Lu brought, including myself, were all waiting twenty feet outside the room; we couldn't hear a single word of what was said inside. The battle situation outside was becoming increasingly critical, and Tianwang Mound was tottering; the front lines had sent urgent reports four or five times, but hindered by the Holy Master's orders, we couldn't enter that door."

"About an hour later, General Lu pushed the door open and walked out, his eyes red as he declared that the Holy Master had already passed away."

"Everyone was stunned. Several generals heard the news and rushed over, wanting to enter the room to investigate, but Lu Yao led all his men to guard the meditation room, not allowing anyone else to step inside. General Wu Shaoyi even got into a fierce fight with Lu Yao because of this. Suddenly, the city fell, and the Royal Court's army slaughtered their way into Tianwang Mound; the generals knew the situation was lost and turned to leave."

When an army is at the end of its rope, it hopes for its pillar of support to emerge and turn the tide; who would have known that the beam would snap with a 'plop,' failing to hold up the sky for them and instead threatening to crush them first. He Lingchuan could understand the rebel army's feeling of having been screwed over.

He couldn't help but ask: "Listening to this, could it be that Hong Xiangqian didn't die, and only spread false news?"

"He died. Lord Ke Jihai sent Hong Xiangqian's head to the capital, and it was passed around countless times; everyone identified it as the real Hong Xiangqian." He Chunhua tapped his fingertips on the woodpile a few times. "Unless he had a body double who looked exactly like him."

He Lingchuan said carelessly: "What's strange about a body double? I know many people like to keep them; they can come in handy at critical moments."

"Oh?" He Chunhua's gaze was deep. "Then tell me, who are they?"

"Uh..." He Lingchuan choked, quickly turning to the prisoner. "I could ask other rebels the things you've said. Is there any more solid information?"

"Yes, yes." The prisoner swallowed his saliva. "Actually, when General Lu led the team to surround the meditation room, I entered the secret chamber with him, and I... I saw the Holy Master's remains lying on the ground, his head and body separated!"

He Chunhua was incredulous: "Lu Yao killed Hong Xiangqian?!"

Hong Xiangqian held a lofty status among the rebels. According to intelligence he had collected previously, Lu Yao was originally a boorish man from the streets; in his youth, he had once violently killed seven people and wounded nine in the street and was arrested. After the trial, he was supposed to be executed in the autumn, but Hong Xiangqian took a liking to his natural aptitude and personally saved him, then taught him martial arts and tactics—it could be said he had the grace of a second birth.

Why would Lu Yao suddenly rebel? "But... but there were no bloodstains on the ground, not even a speck—it was clean. Although the Holy Master only had his head left, the expression on his face was very peaceful, looking as if he were asleep. The objects in the secret chamber were not in the slightest disarray; one couldn't see any traces of fighting or struggle at all." The prisoner swallowed his saliva. "General Lu just called us in to clean up the secret chamber, so I think he hadn't specifically cleaned it beforehand."

He Chunhua listened intently: "And then?"

"At that time, Tianwang Mound had already been breached, and a large number of government troops were pouring in. We didn't have much time, so we had to follow General Lu's instructions to wrap the Holy Master's headless body tightly and sink it into the Mingtai River along with several large stones. As for the Holy Master's head, I don't know how General Lu handled it."

He Chunhua said slowly: "Lords Wu Di and Ke Jihai found Hong Xiangqian's hiding place. There were no heavy troops guarding it; instead, there was a brocade box on the table. When opened, it contained Hong Xiangqian's head. Inside the box, there was also a letter in his own handwriting, stating that he confessed to being the culprit to appease the world and requesting that the government troops not make things difficult for the people of Woling Pass."

Hearing this, He Lingchuan said: "So it wasn't their own hands that cut off the head; its authenticity is questionable."

He Yue, however, shook his head: "Although the two lords were suspicious, they used many methods to verify it, and it truly was Hong Xiangqian's head, so it was presented to the capital. In fact, as long as it is announced to the world that Hong Xiangqian was defeated and died, it makes little difference whether he is actually dead or alive. He and his rebel army will never again become a threat."

He Chunhua's expression was solemn as he said slowly, "Hearing what this person said, I have an idea; perhaps Chuan'er was not entirely wrong."

He Lingchuan was immediately smug: "So I was right after all? Aha, but right is right and wrong is wrong—what do you mean by 'not entirely wrong'?"

"Hong Xiangqian may not be dead, but he can't be considered alive either." He Chunhua hesitated visibly and said cautiously, "I suspect he called Lu Yao into the secret chamber to perform the Art of Weapon-Release for him!"

"Weapon-Release?" This was the second time He Lingchuan had heard this term, and he immediately thought of the old turtle demon.

Demons can perform corpse-release; humans are the same, just with a different name?

"Using a weapon to achieve liberation, helping the Primordial Spirit to exit the body." He Chunhua said word by word, "Simply put, it means having someone behead oneself to liberate the Primordial Spirit!"

He Lingchuan turned his head to see his second brother's brows tightly locked, and he knew this bit of knowledge was likely too obscure, something even the little scholar hadn't delved into.

"In other words, Hong Xiangqian's Primordial Spirit escaped? The so-called 'Weapon-Release' shouldn't just be a simple beheading, right?"

"Of course not. He had to concentrate all his essence, qi, spirit, and blood into his head so that when Lu Yao swung his blade, Hong Xiangqian would have the opportunity to break free from the shackles of his skin. Timing is very important; too early or too late, and it would just be murder." He Chunhua explained, "This process must have been successful, because there were no bloodstains on the ground, which means the essence and blood in his body had all been refined into his head, and Hong Xiangqian was unable to move; only when Lu Yao swung the blade could he seize the opportunity to gestate his spirit and emerge. Most importantly, corpse-release cannot be completed by oneself; it must be done with the help of another's hand."

"In that case, Lu Yao is Hong Xiangqian's true confidant?" He Lingchuan was curious. "What can one do after the Primordial Spirit exits the body?"

What he was thinking, however, was that if the old turtle demon's corpse-release was also this troublesome and couldn't be completed by itself, did it use the Crocodile God's power?

Although the risk was not small, that skin didn't have any room for further cultivation, did it?

If that were the case, it was truly a good scheme.

"Possession." This time it was He Yue who replied. "I've heard that the Primordial Spirit cannot be exposed in the wild for a long time and must quickly find a body to settle in; an unborn fetus is best."

He Lingchuan shrugged: "In that case, at least Hong Xiangqian can't come out to make trouble for ten years."

"Not necessarily. Lord Ke said that Hong Xiangqian had the abilities of a ghost or god, not inferior to the State Preceptor; perhaps he had long prepared a compatible body to deal with the unexpected." He Chunhua asked the prisoner: "After Lu Yao left Woling Pass, did he have contact with any pregnant women or children under three years old? Those who were eaten don't count."

Forget it, I'll move tomorrow's extra update to today.

This chapter is specifically for the latest Alliance Leaders, Greedy Snake and Neighboring Grandpa, as well as the rewards from the past few days from Qiandai Qixiu, Fairy Sister YL, Passing Matchstick, Cup Tragedy Pavilion, and others! All debts have been paid off!

Paid off! Off!

In addition, the Mid-Autumn Festival gift box sent to me by the reading platform for my old pseudonym has arrived; interested friends can go to the book circle (book review section) to take a look.

I won't announce the old pseudonym for now, and you don't need to ask. The day I pop up here, rest assured, it will be hard for you not to know.

(End of chapter)