Chapter 132: Tell Me Your Secret

"Lord Shen said this subordinate can leave with the General!"

After walking out of the prison, Shen Yu arrived at Lu Shaozhi's side, wearing a completely different face. At this moment, whether it was his demeanor or expression, not a single flaw could be detected in Shen Yu.

Let alone fooling someone like Lu Shaozhi, even those most familiar with him would be unable to tell the difference. He hadn't spent these past few days in vain; even if one couldn't say he had mastered the mannerisms and movements to a perfect ten out of ten, he was basically there.

"Hmph, he knows what's good for him!" After receiving the person, Lu Shaozhi did not suspect anything. He had originally thought this would take some effort, but who would have expected this kid to be so sensible after arriving in Songnan Prefecture.

This just goes to show that this little Prefect still has some discernment; if he hadn't known what was good for him, just watch how I'd deal with him!

"Many thanks to the General for the rescue, otherwise this subordinate fears I would have had to stay there for who knows how long!"

"Why stand on ceremony between brothers? This General believes you were framed. How could a brother of my Dongning Army ever wantonly slaughter the innocent!"

Patting Shen Yu on the shoulder, Lu Shaozhi acted like an older brother, then added with a hint of embarrassment, "Also, this General is no longer the Vanguard General from before; I am now a Colonel just like you, so let's not mention anything about 'General' for now!"

"General, has something happened?" Shen Yu asked casually while walking, thinking to himself: *You tell me not to call you that, yet you keep referring to yourself as 'this General'—have you no shame? *

"It's all because of that time the Commander-in-Chief sent me to Sanshui County. The Commander-in-Chief told me to bring the person back, or at the very least kill them, saying it was a matter of great importance that I must complete!"

"As it turned out, that Sanshui County Magistrate—the very same one who is now the Prefect—interfered, causing my mission to fail. After I returned, I was rewarded with eighty military canings and demoted from Mid-ranking General to Colonel!"

"So that's how it is!" Honestly, Lu Shaozhi's answer surprised him. No wonder he was like a powder keg the moment they met; it turned out his position as Mid-ranking General had been stripped away. To this, Shen Yu could only say one thing: he deserved it!

However, the Vanguard General held command over twenty thousand cavalry and could be considered a position of great power and influence. If Lu Shaozhi were truly a trusted aide of Ye Jing, it would be impossible for him to be demoted. At most, it would be a case of raising the hand high and letting it fall gently.

Glancing at the indignant Lu Shaozhi, Shen Yu continued to ask, "Then does the General know what kind of person you were supposed to capture, and why the Commander-in-Chief would value it so much?"

"How would I know that? The Commander-in-Chief told me to capture them, so I captured them. Why would I need to ask why?"

"You really are honest!" While walking, Shen Yu carefully watched the changes in the other's expression, wondering if he was truly ignorant or just playing dumb.

"If the Vanguard army loses its General, who else could command it? Did the Commander-in-Chief really dismiss you just because of this little matter?"

"You're right about that. Besides this General, who else could command the twenty thousand cavalry of the Front Guard? Are we supposed to rely on that piece of trash Jiang Baichuan?"

Speaking of this, Lu Shaozhi's face seemed to show faint signs of anger. "I don't know what the Commander-in-Chief is thinking, that a position like Vanguard General would actually be handed over to that trash Jiang Baichuan. If these twenty thousand cavalry fall into his hands, they'll be ruined in less than half a year!"

"Oh? General, is it possible that this Jiang Baichuan has no ability at all?"

"Ability? He has none!" At this, Lu Shaozhi's anger flared up; he looked as if he were about to jump up and curse.

"I used to think Jiang Baichuan's level was acceptable, but recently when I discussed military strategy with him, he would always dodge the question, and when pressed, he would hem and haw, or even talk complete nonsense!"

"He is, after all, a Deputy General by the Commander-in-Chief's side; I never expected him to be a complete and utter fool!"

"A fool?" How could a fool be appointed as Vanguard General, and why would Lu Shaozhi be demoted for his sake?

In that case, in the eyes of Dongning Army Commander Ye Jing, Lu Shaozhi was not entirely a trusted aide, which is why he had to be removed from such an important position. Ye Jing's move was for the sake of military power, for those twenty thousand cavalry.

It was just that his methods were a bit too unsightly; was he afraid others wouldn't know his intentions? Or was it that in the current Dongning Army, Ye Jing no longer had anything to be wary of?

Chatting with Lu Shaozhi along the way, the doubts in Shen Yu's heart did not decrease; instead, they grew more numerous. The only thing he could be certain of was that the Lu Shaozhi before him was likely not yet one of Ye Jing's own people; at the very least, he was still loyal to the imperial court.

For him, this was actually a good thing.

When they arrived at the military camp, before Shen Yu could even step inside, he was intercepted by someone and taken directly to the residence of Young General Ye Tinghai of the Dongning Army.

And when they arrived at Ye Tinghai's residence, before he could even step into the room, a voice filled with annoyance rang out.

"Shi Ning, you have such great audacity to secretly leave the camp to practice the Blood Evil Technique! It would be one thing to wantonly kill people outside, but you even let yourself get caught and taken to the Prefecture Office. Do you have any idea that you'll expose us by doing this? You scoundrel! You idiot!"

Right from the start, Ye Tinghai launched into a barrage of angry scolding, completely stunning Shen Yu. He had miscalculated the connection between the identity he was currently impersonating and this Young General; the relationship between them was by no means as simple as superior and subordinate!

"Shi Ning, do you think you're quite impressive now? Do you think that because you've latched onto someone else, you can even disregard me? If I don't teach you a lesson, you won't even know what your status is!"

Having just arrived, Shen Yu had no idea how to react and could only silently endure the other's berating. However, this reaction only caused Ye Tinghai's anger to surge further; he felt he was not being respected.

This scoundrel used to fawn over him, but now, aside from a tiny bit of respect, there wasn't a hint of sycophancy to be seen. Did he really think that because he had climbed a high branch, he could disregard him? It was simply laughable.

In a fit of rage, Ye Tinghai casually struck out with a palm. The powerful palm force of Xiantian Perfection slammed into his body, and Shen Yu's entire frame shook.

"Xiantian Perfection!" In an instant, Shen Yu sensed the other's general cultivation realm. Honestly, this bit of palm force was like a tickle to him now. But since he was acting, he had to play the part completely.

Following the force of the palm, he tumbled to the ground and hurriedly forced out several mouthfuls of blood, even managing to get it all over his face. The sight was truly miserable.

"You're fine? You're actually fine? How can you be fine!" Seeing that the person opposite him had taken his palm strike and, aside from spitting a few mouthfuls of blood, showed no other abnormalities, Shi Ning was first surprised, then appeared exceptionally agitated, coming up to grab him.

*Damn it, brother, you're a real ruthless person. I'm in such a miserable state and you call this 'fine'? Then what would count as 'not fine'? Do I have to lie on the ground and stop breathing? *

Ye Tinghai's reaction surprised Shen Yu. He had tried very hard to act as if he were severely wounded; he should look as miserable as possible. This acting was flawless!

"No, you actually have no effect at all!"

After a careful inspection, Ye Tinghai said with some disbelief, "You previously forcibly stimulated the Blood Evil Technique; by all rights, the True Qi in your body should have been violently agitated. Now that you've taken my palm strike, the Blood Evil Technique should have gone into a frenzy. How can you be fine?"

"Uh..." Shen Yu truly didn't understand Ye Tinghai's words and had no idea how to respond. Closing his eyes, Shen Yu simply decided to fake a faint. He had gone to such lengths to impersonate someone else to get in; was he really going to have to run away after only half a day?

"Shi Ning, your Blood Evil Technique was taught by me, and your True Qi contains my cultivation power. By all rights, my palm force should be able to directly control the True Qi in your body, yet you are completely unaffected!"

"Speak, how are you able to avoid being controlled by my palm force? Tell me your secret!"

"This, I..." Understood. Shen Yu understood everything now. It was just that while he wanted to tell him, he would need time to make something up. How was he supposed to answer such a question on the spot?

"Very well, since you are unwilling to speak, don't blame me. I will lock you in the dungeon and interrogate you slowly! You have seen for yourself how terrifying it is there!"

"Young General, the Commander-in-Chief wants to see you!" Just then, a voice came from outside, causing a flash of displeasure to cross Ye Tinghai's eyes, though it vanished as quickly as it appeared.

"Understood!" He replied casually, then looked at Shen Yu again, the greed radiating from within him seemingly impossible to suppress.

Clearly, this Ye Tinghai was also extremely eager for a method to escape the influence of the Blood Evil Technique.

It seemed that the Blood Evil Technique was a top-down control method. Not only was the Shi Ning he was impersonating controlled by Ye Tinghai, but Ye Tinghai was likely controlled by someone else as well. That was why he was so impatient.

"Shi Ning, think it over carefully in the dungeon. As long as you tell me the secret, rest assured, I won't let you suffer a loss. Otherwise, you can try me!"