A Terrible Chess Player

The Palace Master and Xiao Yuan nodded. The former said, "My main quest hasn't changed. The side quest is to eradicate the Zheng family." Xiao Yuan added, "My main quest has changed to defending the Southern Dynasty, and my side quest is the same as the Palace Master's." As the dungeon progressed into its later stages, their teammates' objectives aligned more and more. This was within Zhang Yuanqing's expectations. Xiao Yuan and the Palace Master were both on his side and were both Dominators, unlike the Saints who could exit midway. In the end, their enemies were none other than the Zheng family, the Imperial Preceptor, and the Northern Dynasty. Propping his elbows on the tabletop and holding the little megaphone, Zhang Yuanqing said, "Now that the storyline has reached this point, everyone's quests have converged. There's no need to drag this out any further. Linxia City won't hold out much longer. I intend to launch a surprise attack on the Zheng family tonight." As a Scout, Guan Ya frowned. "How do you know Linxia won't hold out much longer?" Yuanshi's tone and expression were entirely certain. Zhang Yuanqing glanced at her, adopting a tone of "men at work, women don't ask": "When a Stargazer does things, don't ask questions." He looked around at everyone and said, "Now, let us formulate our battle plan." Inside the hall, Guan Ya, Brother Red Chicken, Xie Lingxi, Jiang Jingwei, Sun Miaomiao, and Queen perked up, instantly entering combat briefing mode. Zhang Yuanqing said in a grave voice, "To successfully eradicate the Zheng family, we must first keep the Zheng faction's City Defense Army and Imperial City Division at bay, preventing them from coming to the Zheng family's rescue in time. "Tonight, members of the Azure Dragon Gang will set fires on Guangping Street, Xiaguang Street, and Chengle Street in the inner city to draw away part of the City Defense Army. The troops affiliated with the Yang faction secretly slipped out of the city during the day. Tonight, they will disguise themselves as Northern Dynasty forces besieging the walls. At that time, I will have the refugees outside the walls cooperate by shouting that the Northern Dynasty army is attacking, luring even more of the City Defense Army over. "As for the Imperial City Division's forces, members of the imperial clan will step forward to block them, locking them inside the palace to buy us some time." Guangping Street, Xiaguang Street, and Chengle Street were all neighborhoods where high-ranking officials and nobility congregated. Xie Lingxi knitted her brows. "The Azure Dragon Gang members are setting fires in the inner city? Isn't that suicide?" "It is suicide." Zhang Yuanqing's face was devoid of expression as he replied in a low voice, "They volunteered to die." Xie Lingxi pursed her lips and did not press further. Zhang Yuanqing continued, "The subsequent operation is the truly critical part. According to my divinations, we must kill Zheng Wenhan within fifteen minutes, or the plan will fail. "Guan Ya, share your investigation report with everyone first." Guan Ya nodded and picked up the thread. "According to my investigation, Zheng Wenhan retains many expert guests at his estate, including three peak Saints and nine ordinary Saints. Recently, Zheng Wenhan tightened his estate's security, pulling a unit each from the City Defense Army and the Imperial City Division to guard the Zheng residence. The commanders of both units are peak Saints." "Five peak Saints and nine ordinary Saints. If the requisitioned units have ordinary Saints as well, the number of Saints at the Zheng estate exceeds fifteen." Brother Red Chicken's gaze swept across his teammates one by one. Doing the mental math, his brow relaxed: "We have three peak Saints—Yuanshi, Xiao Yuan, and the Palace Master—plus six ordinary Saints, and on top of that, the Azure Dragon Gang's experts. We're not inferior to the Zheng family." Zhang Yuanqing shook his head. "No, I won't be participating in tonight's assassination operation. I'll remain in Tianji Tower to pin down the Imperial Preceptor's disciples." Only then did Brother Red Chicken remember Tianji Tower. Baring his teeth in a grimace, he said, "If you're not coming, how are we supposed to win?" His earlier assessment had been superficial. Under strict calculation, Level 4 and Level 5 were both considered ordinary Saints, but when a Level 5 fought a Level 4, even if it wasn't as easy as slicing melons and chopping vegetables, crushing them was no problem. After all, not everyone was Yuanshi Tianzun, capable of taking on multiple peers simultaneously or fighting above their level. Xie Lingxi and Queen were early Level 4 Saints, fundamentally limited to support roles. The ones who could truly fight were only Guan Ya, Sun Miaomiao, Jiang Jingwei, and himself. And the Azure Dragon Gang likely had a limited number of high-level Saints. Calculated that way, even with the Yang family's retained experts taking action, without Yuanshi Tianzun, their chances of victory were slim. Zhang Yuanqing said, "Don't panic. A mature Stargazer always has a way. I will secure a detachment of reinforcements for you." Seeing that he wasn't elaborating, the others tactfully refrained from probing further. Then Sun Miaomiao spoke up: "Did you forget about the Imperial Preceptor? Even if he can't leave Tianji Tower, he can still manipulate yin corpses and spirit servants to strike." Facing the glances from his teammates, Zhang Yuanqing smiled. "The Imperial Preceptor is not in a normal state right now and cannot exert his full power. He is a Level 8 Dominator, but under these restrictions, he should only be able to unleash Level 7 combat strength. And a Level 7 Dominator cannot manipulate more than two Dominator-grade yin corpses and spirit servants. "Gang Leader Duan can handle them alone." Sun Miaomiao questioned, "Gang Leader Duan is a Fire Specialist. How is he going to deal with spirit servants?" A proper cultivator was certainly stronger than a spirit servant, but Fire Specialists lacked effective means to attack spirits. Zhang Yuanqing chuckled. "When a Stargazer does things, don't ask questions." Jiang Jingwei tilted her head and pondered for a long time. "What if the Imperial Preceptor chooses to control Saint-stage yin corpses and spirit servants? Wouldn't there be a lot of them?" Brother Red Chicken snapped in annoyance, "Isn't that even better? Gang Leader Duan could slaughter the entire field by himself." This clearly demonstrated that Brother Red Chicken's IQ was higher than Jingwei's. And Jingwei's purity as a Fire Specialist was higher than Brother Red Chicken's. Truly worthy of being the daughter of the contemporary Fire God. Next, everyone discussed the operational plan in detail. Once everything was finalized, Xiao Yuan looked at her lover: "You've stayed in Tianji Tower for a few days. What did you discover?" Zhang Yuanqing stroked his chin. "I have two hypotheses. First, the Imperial Preceptor is refining a yin corpse—one with Level 9 combat power—so he needs the nation's destiny, the Dragon Qi, to suppress and control it. Second, in order to advance, the Imperial Preceptor took a radical, unorthodox path, attempting to refine himself into some powerful yin creature. But for a Golden Crow to convert into a yin creature is tantamount to courting destruction by playing with fire, so he needs Dragon Qi to harmonize yin and yang. "I couldn't get close to the Imperial Preceptor's secluded cultivation chambers, but based on my understanding of Night Wanderers, it should be the latter." Zhang Yuanqing spoke eloquently, "For a Night Wanderer to control a yin corpse stronger than themselves is exceedingly difficult. Back when Zhao Chenghuang was only in the Transcendent stage, controlling a Level 4 yin corpse already made him stand out like an eccentric show-off. "The Transcendent stage is just the starting tier of a Spirit Realm walker, yet it was already that difficult—to say nothing of the Dominator stage." At the Dominator stage, rank was an ironclad law. Fighting above one's level was harder than ascending to the heavens, and slaying an opponent above one's level was practically a pipe dream. Even Duobao Tianzun, decked out in treasures from head to toe, wouldn't dare claim he could defeat a peak Level 8 Imperial Preceptor. For a Level 8 Imperial Preceptor to control a Level 9 yin corpse would be even harder than Zhang Yuanqing controlling the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon. Sun Miaomiao nodded repeatedly. "I think so too. I don't recall any requirement for Dragon Qi assistance to advance from Level 8 to Level 9. The Imperial Preceptor definitely isn't walking the orthodox path of a Day Wanderer. In all likelihood, he refined himself into a monster, just like Commandery Princess Yinyao." "We can discuss the Imperial Preceptor later," Zhang Yuanqing said earnestly. "Before the operation, no one is to step outside, lest the Imperial Preceptor dispatch assassins to pick us off one by one. In addition, we must guard against the possibility of the Zheng family launching a surprise raid on the Yang estate. "Who's to say the villains won't take a page from my book? Even if the Imperial Preceptor and the Zheng family are currently playing it safe." After saying that, he turned his gaze to Jiang Jingwei. "Jingwei is the exception. You're coming out with me." Leaving the Yang residence, Zhang Yuanqing piloted the yin corpse and rode in an unadorned carriage to the outside of the estate of Zhao Kai, Commandery Prince of Yongyan. Handing the carriage driver the gold medallion that Yang Zheng had brought out of the palace, Zhang Yuanqing held the little megaphone and spoke through the curtain: "Go knock on the gate and tell Zhao Kai to come out and see me. Remember not to draw attention." The driver respectfully received the oval imperial gold medallion forged of pure gold, hurried down from the carriage, and ran toward the front gate of the prince's estate. The gatekeeper came over at the sound. After listening to the driver's message, he cast a glance at the carriage, swiftly shut the gate, and went back inside to report. About fifteen minutes later, Zhao Kai—potbellied and wrapped in flabby muscle—emerged alone from the estate. "Your Majesty?" Zhao Kai stood outside the carriage, whispering tentatively. "Imperial Uncle, board the carriage and we will speak," Zhang Yuanqing replied calmly. The corpulent Zhao Kai clambered nimbly onto the carriage and ducked inside the compartment. Sure enough, he saw the yin corpse that His Majesty had piloted that day, along with an unfamiliar young maiden. The carriage wheels rattled as the vehicle rolled onto the main thoroughfare, advancing at an unhurried pace. Zhang Yuanqing introduced her: "Imperial Uncle, this is Lady Chu from My imperial harem." *The hunter's daughter His Majesty brought back during the autumn hunt?* Zhao Kai nodded slightly to Jiang Jingwei. As a commandery prince of exalted status, he had no need to flatter or curry favor with a mere "Lady." Zhang Yuanqing shifted the topic: "She is also an assassin placed at My side by the Shenrui Army." Zhao Kai's thick muscles tensed abruptly beneath his flab. "No need to be nervous. After experiencing the clouds and rain with Me, Lady Chu fell utterly in love with Me." Zhang Yuanqing's tone through the little megaphone carried a touch of smugness. "It was precisely thanks to her risking her life to rescue Me that I was able to escape the palace during Zheng Wenhan's assassination attempt. Now, I am taking you to meet the remnants of the Shenrui Army to recruit them to Our service." Zhao Kai's expression instantly turned solemn, his brow furrowed tightly. Beside them, Jiang Jingwei asked with deep curiosity, "What does 'clouds and rain' mean?" Zhang Yuanqing cut his eyes at her. "Look it up on the computer when you get back." Jiang Jingwei uttered an "Oh" and tossed the matter aside in the blink of an eye. Looking it up on a computer? Absolutely out of the question. Anything related to studying was something she would never voluntarily touch in her entire life. By comparison, clearing dungeon runs was far more entertaining. Then Jiang Jingwei suddenly thought of something and knitted her pretty brows: "Wait, but I don't know where the Shenrui Army is hiding." "The village where your home is located is a secret stronghold of the Shenrui Army. After you entered the palace, your father left the village, but his departure was merely an illusion to deceive the court. Other members of the Shenrui Army remain undercover in the village, keeping constant watch over your empty residence. I observed this a few days ago through my spirit servants," Zhang Yuanqing said. Seeing that Jiang Jingwei still looked blank, he dropped a hint: "Did you forget your quest?" Only then did Jiang Jingwei remember that Lady Chu's main quest was to monitor Zhao Shun's movements and periodically report back to the Shenrui Army. In the memories she inherited, there was no contact method for reaching the Shenrui Army. So how was she supposed to report to them? Combined with Lady Chu's identity details, the answer was easily revealed—return home. There were Shenrui Army members in the village; as long as she showed up, it would naturally draw their attention. Jiang Jingwei wore an expression of admiration. "You're amazing." At this moment, Zhao Kai, having pondered for a long time, spoke up: "How confident is Your Majesty?" Zhang Yuanqing did not give a direct answer. He smiled and said, "The Shenrui Army is a valiant army of tigers and wolves. They possess unyielding conviction; even after more than a decade, they still seek vengeance against Me. This shows just how much weight General Wu Xin carries in their hearts. "As long as you recount the truth of what happened back then, they may not necessarily abandon their revenge against Me, but they will definitely turn their spearhead against Zheng Wenhan first." Zhao Kai thought about it and found it reasonable. He nodded, "Indeed..." Suddenly, his expression froze. Copious amounts of blood gushed from the corners of his eyes, nostrils, lips, and ears. His pupils dilated in an instant. *Thud!* Zhao Kai's body listed sideways and collapsed onto the carriage floor. Just like that, he died right before Zhang Yuanqing and Jiang Jingwei. "This..." Jiang Jingwei said blankly. "He's dead?" Zhang Yuanqing's face darkened. *** Tianji Tower, pill chamber. The Imperial Preceptor pinched a black stone and cut off all vital breath from the white stones. Without bothering to pick up the captured stones, he tucked his hands back into his sleeves and said impassively, "Your Majesty has lost. "Three days of teaching, only to produce a terrible chess player. Your Majesty has no talent for chess." Zhang Yuanqing stared coldly at the Imperial Preceptor, who sat cross-legged like a transcendent hermit, and said in a heavy voice, "I never knew the Imperial Preceptor was versed in curse-killing as well." The Imperial Preceptor replied indifferently, "Merely external power." Zhang Yuanqing swept his hand across the board, scattering the game into disarray. He said coldly, "We are tired. See yourself out." *** Back at the Yang estate, Jiang Jingwei anxiously relayed what had happened to the teammates. Guan Ya and the others had actually already deduced Yuanshi's move. After all, he had previously pointed out that if the Azure Dragon Gang could be an asset, why not the Shenrui Army? It was only out of wariness toward the Imperial Preceptor's divination arts that they had refrained from mentioning it during the tactical discussion earlier. Now that Zhao Kai was dead and the plan was shattered, there was no longer any need to hold back. Guan Ya said with deep concern, "Let's put tonight's plan on hold. We don't have enough top experts. Besides, since the Imperial Preceptor cursed Zhao Kai to death, it means he has already seen through our scheme." Yin corpse Zhang Yuanqing said calmly, "The plan proceeds as scheduled! We have no way to retreat."