Chapter 1109

Chen Wuji and his clan have long been tightly bound together.

He realized this clearly in his heart when he first rose in revolt.

He rose because of his clan, and afterward it would be impossible for him to abandon it.

He comes from a rustic background, but relies even more on his family's foundation.

Actually, strictly speaking, he counts as a clan aristocrat.

He is merely a clan aristocrat who rose again from the rustic.

"I'm just a little worried about Wushuang this brat," Chen Li chuckled lightly, speaking extremely vaguely, as if afraid that saying one more word would annoy Chen Wuji.

Chen Wuji raised his cup, "Eleventh Uncle, you may be a land immortal, but don't act as if you're about to kick the bucket right now—this makes me uneasy inside, you'd better not really have something wrong."

Chen Li hastily waved his hands, "No, no, I just mentioned Wushuang out of the blue and blurted out a sentence; this kid has a good nature, but he just won't let people rest easy."

"Then it's fine, you really scared me half to death."

He was genuinely a bit nervous.

According to the Pythagorean theorem, such remarks often carry a hint of implication.

"If Wushuang has no other ambitions or aspirations, he's fine like this!" Chen Wuji said, "Sometimes I actually envy him a little—his thoughts are simple, his actions pure. We people, our thoughts are actually too complicated."

Just then, Lv Ji suddenly strode over, gripping someone's neck with one hand, "My lord, this kid is a spy under Snake Staff Old Man!"

Chen Wuji heard the voice and froze for a moment.

He hadn't heard the name Snake Staff Old Man in a while.

After Xu Zengyi's flood drowned Yan Zhou, Snake Staff Old Man seemed to have vanished from the human world.

"Did you get it clear?" Chen Wuji asked in a deep voice.

"Reporting to my lord, it's crystal clear, this kid spilled it after drinking too much." Lv Ji said, "He's a military officer under Inspector Puyan of Shangfang Commandery, sent by Snake Staff Old Man to infiltrate our army, intending to steal our military secrets. Puyan is a man of the Wise King, and Snake Staff Old Man now serves under him, assisting Puyan in unifying Shangfang Commandery."

"These people are really like foxes, how many times has this happened, and they're still not dead!" Chen Wuji sighed, "The Wise King really has no one usable left—this old rascal has messed up so many errands, yet he still wants to use him."

He pointed at the military officer Lv Ji was holding, already drunk and limp, "Get him to sober up, gently—everyone's watching, don't make it too brutal."

"Yes!"

Lv Ji responded, pulling a cloth bundle from his sleeve, drawing out a bunch of palm-length steel needles, and stabbed them into the spy's head.

After just a few needles, the spy's whole body trembled like chaff in a sieve.

Before he even fully woke, sweat poured out, and within moments he was soaked through, his trousers especially drenched, as if washed—whether it was urine or sweat, no one could tell.

"Ah..."

He let out a sharp cry, his drooping eyelids suddenly flying open.

"What's this kid's name?" Chen Wuji asked.

"Reporting to my lord, this person's name is Wei Chengzhou!"

Chen Wuji descended the steps, holding a wine jug, standing before Wei Chengzhou, "This Wei brother, do you know what you just said? You blew the lid!"

Wei Chengzhou's face turned ashen, as if recalling what he'd said under the influence of drink, his hands shaking as if about to turn into a fire-wheel and flee home.

"Mar... Marquis, I..."

Wei Chengzhou's lips trembled, unable to utter a clear syllable.

Chen Wuji raised his hand to cut him off, "You, don't rush to explain—you've already spoken, explaining is pointless now. I ask you two things: do you want to die or to live?"

"Want... want to live!"

"Do you have any ideals?"

"Ah? I..." Wei Chengzhou stammered.

To him, the two words "ideal" were probably quite unfamiliar.

"Fine, I know what you mean." Chen Wuji nodded, "I'll give you a task: you now return to Puyan's side, claiming you brought back huge intelligence, then find a chance to counter-kill Snake Staff Old Man and Puyan—can you do it?"

"Deputy Officer... Deputy Officer can, can!" Wei Chengzhou said tremblingly.

Chen Wuji was somewhat dissatisfied, "You say that without confidence—is there still some problem?"

"Deputy Officer, Deputy Officer is willing to betray them, also willing to kill these two for the Marquis, but Deputy Officer doesn't know how to gain their trust." Wei Chengzhou said haltingly.

"No problem, I'll make this clear for you. But why are you so readily willing to betray them? Because your identity was exposed?" Chen Wuji asked with a smile.

Wei Chengzhou shook his head repeatedly, "Deputy Officer speaks the truth, both are true. My identity exposure is one, and additionally... the Marquis values us people, is willing to give us opportunities. Tonight, Deputy Officer was just too overjoyed, so he let slip."

"I understand your meaning." Chen Wuji nodded, "If you can pull this off, today's matter will not only be forgiven, but upon your return you'll be a Deputy General."

"Here it's different from other places—the Deputy General's power is immense, ranking under the Fēnghào Training Officer, currently being reformed, likely to open posts like Middle Lang General and General. If your merit is great enough, even Middle Lang General is not impossible."

Chen Wuji's words were no idle talk—behind the scenes, they are indeed considering this.

Because Chen Wuji's scale keeps growing, continuing to command an army as a Fēnghào Training Officer is clearly unsuitable; the officer ranks must be pulled upward.

Previously, due to concerns about reputation and such, Chen Wuji's group suppressed officer ranks, having only low-ranking officers command units that should be led by generals.

This is also unavoidable—everything requires trade-offs!

Once Middle Lang Lord and General ranks appear, likely all under heaven will know Chen Wuji is preparing to establish himself, to rebel against Da Yu.

Worldly affairs are indeed strange: clearly everyone tacitly agrees on something, yet doing it openly versus covertly yields completely different results, with entirely different impacts.

Chen Wuji laid out a grand plan, and Wei Chengzhou not only wasn't nervous anymore, but even felt a bit elated, "Deputy Officer will certainly strive, as long as the Marquis sends people to cooperate, Deputy Officer will surely kill those two bastards."

"At first I won't send people, lest you expose yourself again—your habit of talking big when drunk must be fixed. After two or three months, when you have news here, I'll send people over!" Chen Wuji said with deep sincerity, kind-faced and compassionate.

"Deputy Officer obeys orders!"

"Old Lu, have someone take him down to rest." Chen Wuji ordered.

"Yes!"

After Lv Ji arranged for people to take Wei Chengzhou away, he quickly turned back, "Deputy General thought the lord's winning over this person was improper—that kid isn't steady, looks like a two-faced, three-knived petty person."