Chapter 688: Price and Ripples

The morning in Huai Xi was colder than usual.

Zhu Yue pulled his tattered cotton coat tight, crouched by the riverbank, and with a sharpened stick, etched into the damp sand.

He was recreating the second-wave signal 'Structure' he had sensed the night before, coming from the east.

It was not text.

It was more like a series of abstract image combinations.

Twisted dark-blue light and shadow.

A rapidly rising tribal totem reeking of fishy stench and predatory aura (he drew from memory symbols resembling Jurchen style).

A black hand attempting to fiddle with a game board.

Finally, a red cross mark enclosed in a circle, carrying a warning.

The signal was vague and intermittent.

Yet its meaning matched his past experiences and deductions astonishingly well.

"Dark energy… Jurchen… operator… danger."

He whispered it, his eyes sharp.

This signal came from the east, from the other side of the light curtain.

It emanated from the source that had triggered the golden tide and was opposing the dark-blue force.

"They are issuing a warning."

"Warning me."

Zhu Yue rose to his feet and smoothed out the pattern in the sand.

Yet his doubts grew deeper.

Who is the other party?

Why warn me?

How could they transmit information across that 'wall'?

Most importantly—what do they want from me?

There is no kindness without reason.

Especially in this strange world.

"Verification is needed."

He said to himself.

Relying solely on passive reception and guesswork will never reach the truth.

He walked back to the camp.

Xu Da and Tang He had already organized the labor force to begin the day's work.

Some repaired shelters, some tried to cultivate the frozen soil in the lee, and more, under Xu Da's leadership, went farther to the river tributaries to seek food.

Order was being painstakingly established in this small refugee camp.

Zhu Yue summoned Xu Da, Tang He, and a few other core members.

"Starting today, we need to do two things."

He got straight to the point.

"First, record every 'anomaly'."

"Whether it's suddenly abnormal weather, strange animal behavior, or encountering people who speak oddly and try to steer us in a certain direction."

"No matter how big or small, write it all down and give it to me."

Xu Da nodded: "Understood, just like those strange occurrences a few days ago."

"Second," Zhu Yue swept his gaze over the crowd, "we will proactively conduct some 'experiments'."

"Experiments?" Tang He scratched his head.

"Yes." Zhu Yue nodded, "For example, we deliberately spread rumors that we intend to join a certain rebel army in the south or a certain stronghold in the north."

"Then we observe whether any corresponding 'coincidence' or 'guidance' appears, prompting us to actually go that way."

"Or we place things around the camp that defy common sense, to see if they attract special 'attention'."

His method was simple, even somewhat crude.

But it was the most direct means of verification he could devise given his current knowledge and resources.

Using controllable variables to probe that invisible 'rule' or 'existence'.

Xu Da and Tang He exchanged glances; though they thought the method a bit mystical, they nodded firmly out of trust in Zhu Yue.

"Alright, we'll follow your lead!"

The orders were passed down.

The camp continued to operate, but covertly, some subtle 'tests' quietly began.

Zhu Yue himself once again took out that piece of recorded bark.

He added a new column: 'Active Experiment Log'.

And wrote down the first test idea: 'Spread false intentions, observe feedback.'

He did not wait long.

Just that afternoon.

Soon after a few clever half-grown children 'unintentionally' discussed at the camp's edge, 'I've heard that Marshal Liu Futong in the south has strong troops and sturdy horses; we'd better go join him,'

among the wandering refugees outside the camp, a man 'coincidentally' appeared who claimed to have fled from the south, praised Liu Futong's forces extravagantly, and gave a detailed description of the route to join them.

The information was overly detailed.

The timing was too coincidental.

Zhu Yue observed coldly from a distance, letting Xu Da send someone to follow for a while.

After that man left the camp area, he quickly disappeared behind the mountain hollow, leaving no trace.

"As expected..."

Zhu Yue recorded on the bark: "Test one: feedback swift, information precise, confirming the existence of a 'guidance mechanism'. The mechanism is sensitive to 'intention', tending to provide a 'convenient path'."

The chill in his heart grew stronger.

Also, a faint excitement arose.

This proved his direction was correct.

This world indeed possesses an unseen "push-hand system".

And he now begins to try to decipher its operating logic.

Almost at the same time.

Xijing, Office of Peace and Stability.

Zhang Cheng placed a secret report on Chen Wen's desk.

"The Huai Xi target has begun proactive probing."

"The method is primitive, but the thinking is clear. It has confirmed the existence of 'guidance' and begun recording patterns."

"Our side's second round of warning signals should have been received, but no obvious reactive action has been seen; it seems to be observing cautiously."

Chen Wen flipped through the report, which contained blurry image fragments from a pinhole observation station and Fortune Momentum ripple analysis.

In the image, that young man calmly observed and recorded, and arranged some small actions that seemed casual but were actually quite targeted.

"He is understanding this world in his own way."

Chen Wen set down the report.

"This is good. Only truths discovered through one's own exploration will make belief strongest."

"How is the Iron Crow Army reacting over there?"

Zhang Cheng's expression slightly tightened.

"The guidance mechanism reacts strongly to the target's 'testing' behavior."

"In the past twelve hours, the frequency of environmental intervention targeting the Huai Xi region has increased by thirty percent, and its intensity has also grown."

"Meanwhile, the convergence speed of latent energy in the Liao East direction continues to rise. Several tribes of the Establish Prefecture Jurchen have completed initial integration, showing signs of southward raids on the border."

"Furthermore..." Zhang Cheng hesitated slightly, "According to the latest intelligence from Governor Yue of Bei Jing, there are signs of suspected contact coordinated by the Iron Crow Army between the steppe remnant forces and the Jurchen tribes."

"Oh?" Chen Wen raised his eyebrows, "Do they intend to unite the Yuan remnants with the future 'Qing'?"

"There is such a possibility. Aiming to manufacture a more complex, stronger enemy alliance to restrain our side, and possibly in the future use it to deal with that western figure."

Chen Wen lightly tapped his fingers on the tabletop.

The Iron Crow Army's strategy is clear.

If guiding Zhu Yue fails, they will adopt a two-pronged approach.

One side increases interference and suppression of Zhu Yue to delay his growth.

The other side fully catalyzes the 'Qing' forces, and tries to win allies for it, building a formidable opponent.

"Speed up gathering intelligence on the Jurchen, especially changes in their combat strength and internal structure."

"Raise the alert level on the Bei Jing defense line. Tell Yue Fei that he can appropriately carry out some small-scale countermeasures to probe their strengths and weaknesses."

"As for Huai Xi..." Chen Wen pondered for a moment.

"Continue monitoring, but do not directly intervene unless necessary."

"He needs pressure, and also needs the sense of accomplishment from finding the answer himself."

"Yes."

Zhang Cheng received the order and departed.

Chen Wen walked to the window.

The winter sunlight was pale and feeble.

But he could feel that the situation was changing at an unprecedented speed.

Zhu Yue was exploring and resisting.

The Iron Crow Army was interfering and catalyzing.

And he, meanwhile, needed to steady the foundations of the Chen dynasty in this accelerating vortex, and accumulate more chips and... time for the ultimate cross-world showdown.

The price has already been paid.

Ripples are spreading.

Next, it remains to see how each side will place their pieces on this turbulent board.

He looked toward the West.

He seemed to hear the faint, determined sound of the invisible shackles being slowly pried open.