Chapter 145: Where Did My Flaming Games for the Vassals Go? (6K Request)

Thus, inexplicably becoming Bao Si's guard, he led her toward the main hall.

Naturally, the two didn't keep holding hands and soon separated.

After walking a short distance, Yao Qing remembered the "mobile phone" Wang Wu had given her, and covertly sent a voice message to Wang Wu saying:

"I was desperate just now, so I had to resort to this plan, so brother‑in‑arms…"

"I know, it's fine." Wang Wu smiled, walked over to Yao Qing's side, and patted her shoulder, indicating she needn't explain.

Yao Qing's body trembled slightly, but aside from that she showed no other reaction; she simply got much closer to Wang Wu on the way to the main hall.

Bao Si walked ahead of the two, naturally unable to see what was happening behind her.

But far away, at Wang Wu's home, a group of women—no, rather three monsters and a human, plus a demon—were watching the screen in front of them with excitement.

The spy kit he bought for himself is now the one Wang Wu plays with the least; its drone control radius reaches eighty kilometers, essentially the standard gear for kids across the Solar System when they play asteroid secret‑base games.

Saturn's rings and Jupiter's rings have become playgrounds for children throughout the Solar System.

For a kid, lacking a personal secret base in the Jovian or Saturnian belts makes it hard to claim a complete childhood.

Wang Wu's spy toy dates back to the 1980s, already a fifty‑year‑old relic relative to the Assassin Brother timeline, yet its performance remains excellent and it is very handy.

Its probe can fly at 0.1 times the speed of light; of course, the speed won't cause it to collide with air atoms and explode.

It's a very safe toy and cannot become an offensive weapon.

As for price, it was cheap—just two hundred yuan, a third of its original selling price.

"Quick! Hold hands quickly! Why aren't we holding hands!?"

Inside Wang Wu's spherical fortress, Shu Niang held a few meat skewers, eating while piloting a probe to spy on Yao Qing, watching the subtlest changes on her face.

"Why aren't we holding hands? Grab them already???" Shu Niang complained.

The number of probes is limited to three: one operated by Shu Niang, one by Zi Yuan, and one by Wu Er Niang.

"Wow, are all humans like this? That's so cowardly," Shu Niang asked Zi Yuan after taking a bite of meat.

"That's because of her, what does it have to do with us humans?" Zi Yuan rolled his eyes. "We Yin people aren't like that; the Zhou people are more timid, they don't dare to directly express their feelings to someone they like, truly…"

"Um, Zi Yuan sister, Xiao Qing is also one of your Yin people," Zhao Xingyue interjected.

"That's all your Zhou people's fault!" Though corrected, Zi Yuan showed no intention of admitting fault, even throwing the whole blame onto the Zhou:

"We Yin people aren't that cowardly; it must be because you Zhou people ruled over us that we became like this!"

"Fine, fine…" Zhao Xingyue smiled, "Let's just say it's because of us Zhou people."

"It must be! It couldn't be otherwise!!"

"Yes, yes, yes… Your Highness, you're right about everything."

The girls could all see that Yao Qing was now completely smitten with Wang Wu, yet none of them intended to make the matter clear to him.

After all, watching anxiously is still watching, and this fresh‑hearted love drama was indeed entertaining.

Mount Li, the Emperor's palace.

Bao Si never managed to reach the main hall, because before she could get there, she was stopped.

"Madam."

Several cultivators blocked Bao Si's path, and not only cultivators but also a few high officials of the Great Zhou.

They included Grand Minister Ji Li, Minister of Works Ji You, and Grand Marshal Ji Ping.

The name Ji You sounds casual, but it truly was the given name of Duke Zheng Huan. Ji You was the governor of Zheng… the State of Zheng, and also served as Minister of Works in the imperial court, overseeing national finances.

"Madam."

Grand Minister Ji Li stepped forward, stood before Bao Si, and with a calm expression said, "I think Madam has already heard the Chu general's request."

Having said that, Ji Li respectfully bowed to Bao Si:

"A state cannot be without a ruler; since Madam is deeply attached to the Great King, I trust she will be willing, right?"

Though not stated outright, the meaning was already clear.

"Please proceed, Madam; we will follow naturally."

Saying that, several cultivators stepped forward, while Bao Si immediately took a few steps back, her face showing panic. "Where is Guoshi Father?!?? Why isn't Guoshi Father here?"

"Guoshi Father has already committed suicide out of guilt," Grand Marshal Ji Ping said calmly. "His crimes were exposed, and he just now took his own life at his residence."

"You! Protect the carriage! Protect the carriage!!!"

After hearing Ji Ping's words, Bao Si could no longer be unclear about the situation. She immediately turned to Wang Wu and Yao Qing, shouting at the two:

"Protect the carriage!!! Can't you hear???"

Yao Qing said nothing, nor did Wang Wu, but Wang Wu walked to Yao Qing's side and gently took her hand.

Li Shangxuan was currently hiding where his disciple couldn't see, spying on this scene; seeing Wang Wu voluntarily take Yao Qing's hand, a slight smile curled his lips.

It wasn't because of that, but mainly because of his disciple's reaction.

When Wang Wu voluntarily took her hand, Yao Qing's bodily response intensified: her palms sweated profusely, and her body remained rigid throughout.

Sensing his sister‑in‑law's tension, Wang Wu squeezed his hand tighter to soothe her, and gently rubbed the back of Yao Qing's hand with his thumb.

"It's fine, I'm right here, it's fine."

He also comforted her with his voice.

"This probably has nothing to do with us, right?" Seeing Yao Qing still nervous, Wang Wu responded on her behalf to the visibly flustered Bao Si, and positioned himself in front of Yao Qing.

"Moreover, Madam hasn't encountered any danger, so why protect the carriage?"

Political matters, of course, have nothing to do with Yao Qing; she is only Bao Si's guard, not her personal guard. Her duty is to protect Bao Si's personal safety, not to defy orders for her.

If Bao Si weren't so panicked now, she would actually be clear about this.

Naturally, she has personal guards by her side, constantly protecting her safety from the shadows.

But up to now, the covert guards haven't emerged, which can only indicate one thing:

The other side is already dead.

This is something Bao Si never anticipated, not the killing of the secret guard, but the series of actions by Zhou You Wang.

She racked her brain and still couldn't figure it out; the situation was excellent, victories kept coming from the front, and Shen Zhou was about to be destroyed and fully brought under the Emperor of Zhou's rule.

It was simply because Ji Gong Sheng was overconfident, claiming she would personally go to the front to command the battle and bring victory, as the best gift for their wedding.

So he set out, then he was defeated. After that, a thousand‑mile rout ensued, and all plans and arrangements collapsed instantly.

At this moment, Bao Si felt, besides panic and confusion, obvious anger toward the useless Ji Gong Sheng.

Because this was a war that even a head‑swapped pig wouldn't lose, yet Ji Gong Sheng's involvement led to a complete defeat, even being beaten by a weaker force that pierced the main camp.

She could hardly imagine what kind of person could accomplish something even a pig couldn't.

But Ji Gong Sheng did it.

In that respect, he truly is now worse than a pig.

At least a pig wouldn't completely ignore counsel; in fact, if it were a pig, there would be no case of seizing command from the front‑line commander and issuing chaotic orders.

"Madam."

At that moment, several senior ministers stepped forward again, and the cultivators beside them began to emit a faint glow.

"Are you... plotting rebellion??"

Even now, Bao Si still intended to struggle, so she stared rigidly at the three ministers before her, trembling as she spoke.

The forced authority she projected failed to inspire fear; it only revealed the terror in her heart.

"Hehe, Madam, we are not rebelling," Ji You laughed, "But you, Madam, why are you unwilling?"

"Could it be that, Madam, you care more about your own safety than the Great King?"

When that sentence was spoken, Bao Si realized she had been utterly defeated.

Her body went limp instantly; Bao Si staggered two steps, nearly falling, but no one offered help—everyone simply watched her quietly.

"Ha, hahaha..." Bao Si laughed miserably as a gust lifted her jet‑black hair, letting it flutter in the wind.

Guo Shi Fu was one of the Three High Officials; having now committed suicide, he is the sole remaining member, the other two posts vacant.

In the present Great Zhou, with the Emperor of Zhou trapped, these three hold the nation's highest authority.

The Grand Chancellor, the Minister of War, and the Minister of Works.

The former oversees Wang Clan affairs, the latter commands the military, while the Minister of Works controls national finances.

"Please?"

The three ministers remained very courteous, respectfully addressing Bao Si.

Wang Wu had already taken Yao Qing's hand and moved aside; this matter was clearly no longer his concern—just watch the drama.

He let go of Yao Qing's hand, but moments later she reached out again, tightly grasping Wang Wu's freed hand.

He turned his head toward Yao Qing, but she kept her head down, so he couldn't see her expression.

He smiled lightly, slipped free from her grasp again, then reached out and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, letting Yao Qing nestle in his embrace.

"Ha ha! That's right, Wu Lang!! Exactly like this!!! It should be like this!!!"

Inside the spherical fortress, watching Wang Wu clasp Yao Qing's shoulder, the three demonesses instantly shouted with exhilarated cheers: "Great, Wu Lang!! Well done, you did well!!!"

"It's just a shoulder display; Wu Lang never intended anything with Yao Qing," but before the demonesses could celebrate for a few seconds, Zhao Xingyue and Zi Yuan poured cold water on them.

In front of the three, there were three screens: one showed Yao Qing's current face, the other two displayed the two from different angles.

"Eh, look at Yao Qing, she's blushing so hard! Wu Lang didn't even notice?"

Wang Wu naturally didn't know what was happening at his home, since he wasn't on the phone with them.

At this moment, he was hugging Yao Qing while messaging his masters.

【MountainTopCaveMonster: Master, master, do you have time now? I might need you later, but I don't know when I'll call you】

【Bo Sheng Gui Bi Ni Ma Si Le: Huh? Then disciple, can you wait a moment? I'm currently polishing the master, still need the last three hundred points, roughly?】

【MountainTopCaveMonster: Okay, master, it's not urgent, you go ahead】

【Bo Sheng Gui Bi Ni Ma Si Le: Fine, I'll go handle it first】

Wang Wu had his master ready to possess him, not to save Bao Si; he didn't know her, his first impression of the woman was mediocre, so he wouldn't care about her life or death.

Having the master prepared was to guard against other emergencies, such as a city being attacked or an army pressing in.

Wang Wu still recalled that royal warship Wu Ding; it appeared once in He Dong Xian, shattering the Zhou dynasty's spacecraft Tianheng with a single cannon.

Then today it reappeared over Li Shan, and another blast seized the fleeing Zhou Emperor's ship‑crew head.

The space vessel's awesomeness lies in the fact that, though huge, it can be 'carried on the person'.

Indeed, portable, because this is a magical artifact, and most artifacts can be stored inside a Qiankun Sleeve.

Moreover, the device is highly intelligent; with permission, a single person can already operate it.

What intrigued Wang Wu was whether Da Ji was the one piloting that royal warship, since aside from Wu Geng Rou Ren, only Da Ji could launch a warship from Si Hun Shan.

Even Wu Geng Rou Ren might lack the right to activate a royal warship; truly, only a Shang Dynasty ruler who has undergone the coronation ceremony could drive it without any key.

And currently, the only surviving legitimate ruler of the Great Shang Dynasty in this world is Zi Yuan.

Even Zi Yuan is only of Yin royal blood, not a 'king'.

A king and a princess may differ by just a character, but the actual gap is quite large.

Watching several cultivators escort Bao Si away, the three Great Zhou senior ministers did not linger their gaze on Yao Qing and Wang Wu, merely smiling and nodding as a greeting.

Clearly, the Green Duckweed Sect also knew about this, perhaps even arranged it from start to finish.

Although he fully understood neither cause nor effect, Wang Wu always felt this was not that simple.

After seeing Bao Si taken away, Wang Wu felt that everything happening seemed to be silently guided by an invisible great hand behind the scenes.

Whether Ji Gong Sheng's defeat or anything else, he always sensed a shadow behind it.

There was no evidence, just a wrong feeling. Wang Wu has always trusted his 'intuition'.

Since cultivating Earth Martial Arts, his intuition has never erred in such situations.

But even if we ignore that intuition, just thinking with our mind is already enough to notice some things that don't feel right.

Guoshi Fu's death was clearly premeditated long ago; otherwise it wouldn't be such a coincidence that when trouble broke out at Ji Gong Sheng, Guoshi Fu happened to commit suicide out of fear of guilt.

Likewise, Ji Gong Sheng's defeat is also odd; even if it was truly foolish, from the frontline report Wang Wu heard there was a huge advantage, yet it collapsed all at once because of a few reckless moves by Ji Gong Sheng, right?

That is certainly possible, and Ji Gong Sheng could indeed be that stupid.

But… something feels off, no matter how you look at it.

"I feel something's not right." After those cultivators and the high officials of Great Zhou had all left, Wang Wu said.

He waited a good while for Yao Qing's reply, glanced at her, and saw that her face was now flushed, heat visibly radiating.

"Um…"

Knowing that his adoptive sister, as an unmarried young lady, might never have been held like that by a man in her life, Wang Wu immediately let go, apologetically saying:

"Um, adoptive sister, I didn't think of this, that's my fault, don't mind it…"

"No, nothing!"

Yao Qing had been in a state both tense and thoroughly enjoying it, but upon hearing Wang Wu's words her heart suddenly jolted, and she immediately said:

"It's nothing! Brother Wu, I'm… I'm fine…"

"Oh, that's good, that's good." Wang Wu nodded, looking at Yao Qing whose expression had returned to normal, and said:

"I feel this matter about the Son of Heaven seems a bit off."

"Eh?" Yao Qing was startled, clearly not understanding what Wang Wu meant.

"It was indeed a matter that had been decided long ago." Li Shangxuan's voice sounded beside them.

"Master?"

"Hehe, it's fine." Li Shangxuan smiled, glanced at his own land, and said, "I was just chatting with Young Hero Wang; you don't need to keep watch here, you can go stroll around Li Mountain with your adoptive brother."

"There are quite a few interesting spots here, after all the Son of Heaven's garden is also around here."

Then, shifting his gaze away from the now smoking Yao Qing, Li Shangxuan said to Wang Wu:

"Since the current Son of Heaven is incompetent and tyrannical, the royal clan had long entertained the idea of discarding the old and establishing the new, and this time the opportunity presented itself, so it naturally could go with the flow."

"Probably not that simple." After Li Shangxuan's explanation, Wang Wu shook his head, "This discarding the old and establishing the new, perhaps the royal clan isn't the only one thinking that, right?"

"Haha." Li Shangxuan chuckled, "That's natural."

"The Son of Heaven wants to suppress the allied Si clan and the Jiang clan; the Jiang family naturally won't sit idle. And now the major families of the thirteen provinces will naturally be courted by both sides."

"So in the end the Jiang clan succeeded?" Wang Wu asked.

"You could say that." Li Shangxuan nodded, "After all, during King Mu's reign, the powers of the provinces were greatly reduced; they no longer had military authority nor the right to appoint or dismiss officials in their own territories."

"The Son of Heaven's power is truly immense."

"He can arbitrarily appoint or dismiss provincial governors, and by royal decree move any provincial troops at will. Although many powers have returned to the regions now, King Mu's influence persists, and many provincial appointments are still decided by the Son of Heaven."

"If the current Son of Heaven were a wise ruler, that would be fine; the appointments would naturally be capable people."

"But I think the current Son of Heaven's reputation, even Young Hero Wang would have heard something about it, right?"

Li Shangxuan clearly wasn't interested in centralization, but that's normal; after all this is the Zhou dynasty, there's no such law that the world must split and then reunite.

"So the Son of Heaven is most likely not coming back?" Wang Wu asked.

Li Shangxuan smiled, said nothing, but the answer was obvious.

The Zhou Son of Heaven cannot return; the State of Chu has never been fond of Zhou, and during King Mu's era had several military clashes with Great Zhou. Though defeated badly, Chu never accepted it.

Now the Zhou Son of Heaven is in Chu's hands, and everyone can only pray for the Son of Heaven, praying that Mi Xian can give Ji Gong Sheng a proper end.

But judging from the current situation of Ji Gong Sheng, it seems the matter won't fulfill the Zhou officials' wishes.

Li Shangxuan's current words finally dispelled Wang Wu's doubts, yet he remained curious about that Chu person's request to send Bao Si over in exchange for Ji Gong Sheng.

"So what does that Chu person want Bao Si to do? Was this also predetermined?" Wang Wu asked.

Calling her Bao Si directly is fine; she's from Bao Prefecture and surnamed Si, so that's perfectly acceptable.

"Not really." Li Shangxuan shook his head, "This matter wasn't arranged, probably just Mi Xian's spontaneous idea."

"After all, Si Shuo is a national beauty, it's natural for him to covet her."

"If he didn't make a request, how was Si Shuo dealt with?" Wang Wu asked.

"When the new king ascended and the old king passed, Si Shuo would of course be buried together with the former king."

"Alright, either way it's death; being taken by that Chu general might actually be a way out."

"Young Hero Wang, is there anything else you wish to know?" Li Shangxuan asked, smiling at the enlightened Wang Wu.

"Nothing, thank you, senior."

"Young Hero Wang, you're too courteous." Li Shangxuan clasped his hands to Wang Wu, "Since that's the case, I won't disturb you and your sibling any longer."

After that, he glanced at Yao Qing and said, "Qing'er, why not take your adoptive brother and stroll around the city today?"

"Yes, Master." Yao Qing nodded lightly.

"Um, I think I'll come later; I still have some matters now." At this moment, Wang Wu shook his head and said to the two.

"I'll probably be back tonight; then I'll treat you to a meal." He smiled at Yao Qing, then lightly patted her shoulder.

He then vanished from before the two.

It wasn't that he was eager to return and start digging; he wanted to see Bao Si's ultimate fate in the other world.

Missing the segment where the beacon games the feudal lords disappointed Wang Wu, but he couldn't miss the part where Bao Si is captured by the 'Dog Rong'.

This must be seen.

(End of chapter)